Baby Assignment
by tivafan-01
Summary: This is a high school fanfic, all about our favourite characters in high school. What will happen when Ziva and Tony are paired together on the infamous "baby assignment" in high school? Will they finally admit their feelings? TIVA! R/R Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Hey! This is my second fanfic, a really random idea, but I think it could be fun. It's basically about how an assignment highschools used to give out was fake babies that the students had to take care of to show how hard parenting is. Well, Tony and Ziva get paired up, and you'll have to read the rest for yourself. (Sorry, but just to let you know the baby isn't mentioned that much, it's just more of an excuse that Tony and Ziva have to spend a lot of time alone together.) Also, sorry but there isn't much McAbby. There is some in the first chapter or two, but then it's mainly Tiva. Don't want to get McAbby fans too excited. :) This is my second fanfic and I appreciate all of you reading it. I really appreciate reviews, so if it this story is worth reviewing please do so, or you can tell me to stop writing it right now if it's really bad. Enjoy!

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The bell rang and Ziva waved good-bye to her friends as she headed off for class.

"Hey Ziva! Wait up!" Ziva turned and smiled as Abby Scuito made her way through a sea of students to catch up with Ziva.

"Thanks for waiting; my dad dropped me off late today. Ready?" Ziva nodded and they silently headed for their health class.

They walked into their class room and nodded to Dr. Mallard, their teacher. He nodded politely at them and went back to lecturing Jimmy Palmer, who stood holding his textbooks. Jimmy shoved his glasses up higher on his nose and his face was steadily turning red as other students walked in, laughing at his misfortune, everyone knew you didn't ask Dr. Mallard a question if you wanted a short answer.

Ziva simply smirked at Abby, who smiled back knowingly. Ziva sat down in the second row and Abby sat down in front of her.

Abby smiled to Timothy McGee, who was sitting to her right and he blushed under her gaze.

Tim returned to his books and fought the urge to look back at Abby. He'd had a crush on her for a very long time now, but he still liked to think he hid it well enough. He sneaked one quick look at her and smiled, but he quickly dropped his gaze back to his books when she looked his way. Abby was special, and she was friends with him so he'd never dare to act on his crush, but it was still nice to think about the possibility of a relationship with her.

Tim groaned when Tony walked in, there was another of his "friends." Only, instead of being nice to him like Abby was, Tony seemed to base their whole relationship on teasing Tim. Tony sat behind him and grinned at the way he leaned forward even farther over his books.

Tony was about to say something when Ziva gave him a death-glare. Tim let out a sigh in relief, he really wasn't in the mood for Tony's teasing right now. Tim flashed Ziva a smile and she simply nodded in return.

Tony rolled his eyes at the smile Tim gave Ziva for "saving" him. It's not like his teasing was that bad, he opened his mouth to make another comment but Ziva cut him off with yet another death-glare.

He grinned at her and made a "call me" sign, simply because he knew that it would bug her—not that he'd mind if she called him.

Tony hid it well, but he'd been in love with Ziva ever since the first time he saw her. He could still remember the way she had walked through the front doors of school. He'd been talking to Hailey, but she seemed to disappear when Ziva walked in, they had an instant connection. A few years had passed since then and Tony had fallen in love not only with the beautiful face, but with her personality.

She was funny when she allowed herself to relax and her smile lit up the room. He absolutely loved making her laugh and often wondered if they could ever be together.

Tony was the most popular guy in school, and the captain of the football team. He could have any girl in school he wanted, save Ziva. He'd often flirt with other girls like he used to before she came, but it was more to make Ziva jealous than anything else.

He watched her roll her eyes at his insincere "call me" gesture. Tony simply grinned wider, knowing he had pissed her off.

"What's the matter Ziva? Someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?"

Ziva simply looked at him like he was stupid, "No, I got up on the same side I always do, and why are you asking about my sleeping patterns?"

Tony rolled his eyes, Ziva was still rather new to the States, and although she spoke English and many other languages fluently, she was constantly mixing up her idioms. "It's a saying Ziva, basically you're cranky."

Ziva glared at him when she realized what he was trying to say and, lucky for Tony, Dr. Mallard called their attention before she could comment.

"Hello everyone, good morning and a very soon-to-be interesting one too, I can assure you of that. I assume that you have all heard about the infamous 'baby assignment?'"

At some confused looks he continued, "You see, every year I send you all home with a pretend baby, to show you how hard parenting is. You will all be using a doll like this."

He held up a doll for them all to see, "You'll write a report at the end of the week. Since you are only teenagers, and even adults have problems raising a child alone, you will work in partners. Now, this "baby" as you would call it, has electronic sensors that make it react to different situations just like a baby would. It cries, laughs, smiles and even uses the necessary. I expect that you can all take good care of your doll, and you _must_ share the work equally with your partner. At the end of the week, you will reflect on your experiences individually, and hand your reports in to me. Are there any questions?"

Tony's arm shot in the air and, at Dr. Mallards' queue, began, "So Dr. Mallard… you said we get partners, do we get to choose them?"

Tony grinned as every girl in the room looked to him, wanting to be his partner. That is, every girl except Ziva who was rolling her eyes at the other girls and Abby, who was secretly glancing at McGee.

"In answer to your question Anthony, I will be picking the pairings in this assignment."

Dr. Mallard couldn't contain his smile at the looks of disappointment that filled almost every students face. Only Tim and Jimmy looked relieved, and judging by the look on Ziva's face, it really didn't matter either way, then again judging by the way all the guys looked at her she wouldn't have had problems finding a partner herself.

Tony's hand shot in the air once again and Dr. Mallard called on him, "Yes Anthony?"

"So who are our partners?"

Dr. Mallard chuckled at Tony's eagerness to know who his female partner would be. "Well, let me see here, my list is on my desk somewhere…"

Dr. Mallard rambled on for a while as he searched for his list of partners, then smiled in triumph and lifted a small paper up, "Yes, here it is, now let's see… Yes. Matthew's partner is Rachel, and Kyle's partner is Jessica, and Bradley's partner is Sarah. You… Anthony are paired with Ziva."

Dr. Mallard tried to hide his amusement as he watched Tony flash Ziva his infamous "DiNozzo Grin" as Ziva frowned slightly. He was looking forward to seeing their reports the most, and knew that there was definite chemistry between the two. Tony obviously noticed the same, but it seemed as if Ziva wasn't overly pleased with this pairing.

Dr. Mallard smiled to himself as he realized that this was going to be an interesting week. He looked down to his paper and continued reading, "Justin is paired with Amy, Abigail is with Timothy…" Dr. Mallard continued to list off the partners, but allowed himself a small smile at the look on Abby and Tim's faces.

Tim looked nervous, shy and happy, while Abby was all smiles.

Half an hour later Dr. Mallard had informed them of everything they needed to know for their assignment and handed each pair a baby. The bell rang, releasing the students who were already on their way for the door.

Ziva waited a moment for Abby and the two of them walked out of the classroom together. They reached their lockers, which were next to each other, and began to put away their books. Abby was the first one to break the silence, "So… What do you think of this baby assignment?"

Abby received her answer when Ziva rolled her eyes and began, "I personally do not get the point. Why we have to lug a baby around with us for a whole week is beyond me."

Abby smiled, "I don't know, it might not be so bad."

Ziva rolled her eyes and smirked, "Yeah, well you're only saying that because you're partners with Tim."

Abby blushed furiously, "I just think he's nice that's all…" At Ziva's smirk and raised eyebrow she blushed even further and continued, "It's nothing like you and Tony."

Ziva's smirk disappeared and a frown took its place, "Yeah, I do not know why I got stuck with Tony, he can be so immature sometimes and I do not want to be stuck with all the work on this assignment."

Abby raised her eyebrows, not buying Ziva's story, "Oh, and you're saying that you don't find him charming or hot at all? Come on Ziva, you guys are like, meant to be together."

Ziva's smirk returned, "A bit idealistic aren't we Abby, Tony is my friend, that's all…" Ziva was cut off, however, when her "baby" started to cry.

She picked it up and tried to stop it from crying, Ziva smiled with pride when the baby calmed at her touch, "I guess this baby is pretty smart…" She grinned, not even noticing that Tony had come up behind her.

Ziva held the baby out to Abby, "Here can you hold it for a moment while I put my books away?"

Abby nodded but Tony swooped in and took the baby from Ziva's arms, "I got her… Honey."

Ziva rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, clearly not impressed by Tony's charm. "I am not a piece of food Tony."

Tony simply rolled his eyes and explained, "It's a term people in relationships use…" He was cut off by Ziva's hand.

"We are not in a relationship Tony, we are simply partners for this assignment."

Tony looked a little hurt by Ziva's comment, but took it in stride, "Whatever you say, but Dr. Mallard told us to come up with a name for the baby, instead of 'it'. Got any ideas?"

Ziva thought for a moment, but shook her head, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Tony looked at her like she was dumb and said, "boy" Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Ziva rolled her eyes, "Any why are you so sure that it would be a boy?"

Tony continued to look at her as if she was stupid and replied, "Because it's _my_ kid, of course it's a boy."

Ziva rolled her eyes and was about to protest when she realized they was running out of time before their next class. "Whatever, it can be a boy, how about… Jacob?"

Tony nodded with satisfaction, "Fine, Jake it is. Here, you take him."

Ziva raised her eyebrow, "And why is it that I must take him with me?"

Tony just stared at her, "Well, you don't expect me to take him do you, I mean…"

"Yes, Tony. I do expect you to take him, remember, we have to split the work equally?"

Tony groaned, "Whatever, I hear that babies are chick magnets anyways." He began, then realized he wasn't going to get a reaction from Ziva. He rolled his eyes and walked away, wondering why it was that she didn't seem to be impressed by him.

He walked to his locker and grabbed his books before heading off to class.

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Hey! So that was the first chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. :) Thanks for reading and please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS. **

Author's note: Hey! So like I said before, this is my second fanfic, so I'm still kind of new to this. Please review, I love it when you do. Also, I want to know if this story is worth continuing. I want to thank you all for the reviews that I got on the first chapter. That's why I updated so quickly. :) Especially thanks for the reviews saying I kept it in character, I am trying my best but it's a little more difficult with this one since they're younger. I hope that I am trying to keep in as much in character as I can! Thank you for reviewing, and thank you for reading my story!

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Tony yawned and closed his books. The bell rang and he was more than ready to leave math class. He put the doll down and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder before taking Jake back in his arms.

Tony rolled his eyes at how much of a pain this baby was already, it had began crying twice already and everyone got annoyed when their babies started crying as a result. The math teacher, who already had a new baby at home looked frantic when cries haunted him even at school and he had a short temper for the rest of the class.

Tony raced out of the room, eager to find Ziva so she could take over. Jake started to cry again so Tony rushed to her locker, he walked up to her and looked frantic as he practically shoved the baby into her arms.

"I believe it's your turn Ziva, I'm done." He raised his arms in defeat and noticed a smile on Ziva's face.

As soon as she took Jake in her arms, he stopped crying. Tony stared at her with his mouth open, shocked at what ever power she held over the baby.

Ziva merely grinned at the look on his face, "What is it Tony? You can't handle a little doll for an hour?" She shook her head in fake disdain and couldn't help her smile from growing at the look on his face.

Tony merely grinned, "So… I guess I'll see ya then."

Ziva nodded, "Talk to you later."

Tony went to the cafeteria and grabbed a tray of food, he spotted some of his buddies and sat down. Matt grinned at him mischievously and Tony finally broke down after everyone continued to stare at him, "What?!"

Kyle, who was sitting next to Tony rolled his eyes, "You know _what _man, you're paired with Ziva!"

Tony tried to make light of the situation, if his friends found out how much he actually liked her, they'd never let him live it down. After all, he was Anthony DiNozzo, the captain of the football team and most popular guy in school. He could get any girl he wanted, save Ziva, and even the thought of him having a _real_ relationship was ridiculous.

Tony simply shrugged and said, "Yeah, I'm paired with Ziva. It's no big deal."

Tony watched as all his friends' mouths dropped open in surprise, Matt was the first to recover and questioned, "So, what, you mean you don't even care that you got paired with the hottest chick in school?" The shock was evident in his voice.

Tony rolled his eyes, "We're friends." He spotted Ziva and Abby walk through the door and grinned, "There she is right now."

Tony turned around to see Matt grinning at him, "What?"

Matt rolled his eyes, "You know what. Don't try to tell us that you don't like her, you were totally drooling over her!"

Tony rolled his eyes, trying to dismiss the comment, he simply said, "I was just looking at her, she's my friend you know…"

Kyle cut him off, "Yeah, we know, but do you usually check out your friends?"

Tony could feel his face getting red and he made a quick exit, "Well, I actually have to go and talk to her… about the assignment and stuff, so I'll see you guys at the game tonight."

He grabbed his tray and left, his friends all laughing as he made his way to Ziva. Tony chose to ignore them and smiled as Ziva sat down with Abby. He took a seat across from Ziva and looked at Jake. "So… I was thinking about what to do after school. I have a game that I can't miss, but afterwards we should probably go to either your place or mine with the baby."

Ziva nodded, realizing that they would have to spend a lot of time together in the next few days. "Sure, Abby and I have nothing to do after school; we'll watch your game, right Abs?"

Tony looked to Abby who nodded, "Sure! Timmy will come too! I'm sure of it!"

She smiled, but Tony raised an eyebrow, "Timmy?"

Abby blushed and looked down, "Yeah… well, I just thought it sounded better than Tim, but whatever. Either way he's my partner so he'll come to the game too."

Tony smirked, Abby was so obvious, but he decided to let it go. "Sure. Sounds good to me."

He grinned at Ziva and she smiled back, "So… what do you guys want to do after school?"

Tony shrugged, but Abby gave Ziva a huge smile, "BOWLING! I _love_ bowling, and it' perfect with four people!"

Ziva and Tony nodded, agreeing to go bowling. Tony grinned, "So I guess that means you guys don't mind losing 'cause you know I'm gonna win."

He gave them a cheeky grin, the one he usually used to entice girls and stretched his arms in front of him, "Yup! You're all going down!"

Ziva smiled sweetly, revealing her dimples to all, including Tony's friends who continued to watch her. "I guess I will just have to prove you wrong then, for I am sure that I will beat you all."

Abby smiled, Tony and Ziva always were competitive, and it would be fun to see them contend. Tim joined them later and they all agreed to watch Tony play, then go bowling. They finished their lunch and headed off to their next class. Tony had gym and Ziva had biology, so she took Jake with her, and even though Tim offered, Abby refused to part with their baby who they decided to name Andrew.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva packed her books in her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. She took Jake back from Abby, who was waiting for her. They began walking towards the football field where Tony was warming up for his game.

The game started in about ten minutes so they quickly scanned the stands until they saw Tim. Abby smiled brightly and Ziva grinned. She walked a little faster than Abby and sat down next to the aisle, making sure Abby had to sit next to Tim.

Tim didn't mind and neither did Abby, but she looked at Ziva curiously. Ziva shrugged and explained, "I like being on the outside, easier to see."

Abby smiled and happily slid into her seat. She put her hand on the arms rest and quickly pulled back when she realized Tim already had his hand there.

Ziva smirked as they both blushed furiously, Tim instantly pulling his hand back so that Abby could have the arm rest.

Ziva chuckled at the looks on their faces, she couldn't help but notice how cute of a couple they would make.

Ziva wasn't exactly a "girly-girl" who loved to play match-maker, but she did like to see her two friends happy and mentally began plotting different ways to get them together.

Ziva watched as the game was about to begin. All the players were coming out of the tunnel from their dressing rooms. She rolled her eyes as the female voices grew much louder when Tony walked out with a huge grin on his face, obviously enjoying the attention.

The game started off quickly as Tony scored a touchdown. Many more followed and Ziva couldn't help herself from smiling, although Tony could be immature, he definitely was a very talented football player.

She looked over to Abby and Tim, wondering if they were enjoying the game too. Abby was cheering loudly as Tony made another break-away, but Ziva smiled as she noticed Tim was watching Abby more than the game.

Tim saw Ziva smirking at him and he quickly returned his attention to the game, making Ziva smile even wider at how easy it was to make him blush.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony leaned against his car and waited for Ziva, Abby and Tim to appear so he could drive them to the bowling alley.

He flashed Melissa a grin as she walked by, and his grin got wider when she redirected her path and walked towards him.

"Great game Tony!" She said with a smile.

Tony simply grinned, "Thanks, I saw you in the stands cheering. Maybe you'd like to grab a bite sometimes?"

She smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "I'd love to, so… guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Tony nodded and grinned as she left him with a smile. He only had to wait about a minute longer before Ziva, Abby and Tim appeared. Ziva sat in the front seat and Abby and Tim sat in the back.

Tony got in and drove them all to the bowling alley. They went inside and paid for their lane and shoes.

"So…" Tony began, "Ready to be amazed by my amazing skills?"

Ziva rolled her eyes but decided to let it go. They all grabbed a ball and Tony went first, causing Ziva to burst into laughter as he bowled a gutter ball.

"Excuse me Tony, but where are those amazing bowling skills you were talking about? I've only been in America for a short time, but even I know that the point of the game is to hit down the pins."

Tony rolled his eyes at her, "Whatever Zee-vah," He said, dragging her name out to annoy her, "I'm simply letting you guys get ahead a little first so you have more of a chance."

Ziva rolled her eyes, "Sure Tony, whatever you say." She picked up the ball and threw it into the lane, knocking down every pin on her first try. She turned around with wide eyes and she and Abby hugged each other before Abby picked up her ball.

She bowled a spare and smiled at Tim who shyly congratulated her as she sat down.

Tony rolled his eyes, those two had been friends forever and it was clear that they both wanted to take it to the next level, why didn't they just date already?

He grinned and opened his mouth to comment but was quieted when Ziva elbowed him in the stomach. "Hey! What was that for?!" He asked.

Ziva smiled innocently, "I believe you know Tony." She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, "They really like each other, do not ruin it for them."

Tony made and innocent face and opened his mouth to protest, then shut it, realizing Ziva would see right through his lie. He sighed and picked up his ball, Tony sighed in frustration when he bowled yet-another gutter-ball.

He sat down and rolled his eyes at Ziva who smiled triumphantly. He waited until she was just about to throw when he cleared his throat, a huge grin spreading across his face as she sent her ball flying into the gutter. "TONY!"

She stomped up to him, but Tony smiled innocently, "Sorry, I got a sore throat, it's not my fault you scare easy."

He grinned as she shot him one more evil look before sitting down.

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**Hey! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and feel free to review and let me know how I'm doing. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Thanks for all of your reviews, this chapter is a little different from the last, but I hope that it is still good. :) Just want to say that I'm sorry for all McAbby and Jibbs fans out there, but this is mainly a Tiva story. Gibbs and Jenny are married, they're Ziva's parents, and I will try to have some minor McAbby interactions. :) So thanks for reading, I really appreciate it and I love it when you review and tell me how I am doing. Like I said before, I am still new to this, it's only my second fanfic, so I love hearing how I'm doing. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!!  


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After they finished bowling, Tony dropped Abby and Tim off at Tim's house so they could work on their project. He then drove Ziva back to his place, it's not like his dad would care anyways.

They got out of the car and went inside his house. Tony's dad was eating supper and didn't even acknowledge him, even though he gave a slight smile to Ziva.

Tony rolled his eyes at the way his dad ignored him, you'd think that he'd be used to it by now, but he had to admit that it still hurt when his own father wouldn't even acknowledge him.

Ziva noticed the tension between Tony and his father, but decided to keep her mouth shut. She simply followed Tony up the curving staircase with Jake in her arms.

Tony opened a door and led her into his room. Ziva was surprised at how neat it was, then remembered that Tony had a maid who cleaned it.

She put Jake down on Tony's bed and sighed, "So now what do we do?" Tony thought for a moment, "We can go swimming."

Ziva shook her head, "Can't. Gotta stay with Jake here remember?" She said, motioning to the doll.

Tony sighed and plopped himself down in a bean-bag chair. "Whatever, there's nothing fun that a baby can do."

"Well… What would you have done if you were paired with somebody else?" She asked.

Tony grinned, "Make out." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and sighed when she rolled her eyes. "So then what do we do then?"

She sighed and fell back onto his bed, "I don't know, there's not much that you can do with a baby around." She looked at Jake and sighed, knowing that this was going to be a long week.

Suddenly, she sat up and smiled, "You know we could talk about how I kicked your but at bowling."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Whatever Zi, you know I let you win."

"I am sure you did Tony." She said with a knowing look on her face.

Tony's eyes lit up, "I'll play you basketball, and we can bring Jake along."

Ziva thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"Sure, but I don't know if it's so good for him to keep seeing me beat his father." She replied with a grin.

Tony rolled his eyes and they went outside. He grabbed a basketball and shot it from the half-way line, sinking it instantly.

He grinned at Ziva, expecting her to be impressed, but his smile faded when he realized she hadn't even seen.

Ziva turned around and grinned, "One on one?"

Tony nodded, "One on one." _This is gonna be fun._

He gave her first ball and was surprised when she made it past him in only a matter of seconds. He turned around, shocked. He hadn't known she could actually play.

Ziva smirked at the look on his face and threw him the ball. Tony grabbed it and went for a shot but was surprised to have Ziva steal it from him and sink it again.

"You know I'm going easy on you right?" He asked.

Ziva rolled her eyes and threw him the ball once again, "Fine Tony, now try your best."

She grinned as she watched him shuffle his feet, now he had to do really well. He went back to the half-way line, attempting to impress her and shot it in.

He grinned and threw her the ball. She caught it with ease and was heading for the net when Tony blocked her. She went back a few steps and shot again, this time getting it in.

This went on for a while, but an hour later Ziva had won and was gloating over Tony.

"What's the matter Tony? Upset that I beat you again?" She asked grinning.

Tony smirked as he replied, "I could've won, I just didn't want to."

"I am sure that you could Tony."

"I could! I could beat you at any sport!"

"Like bowling?" She asked with a grin on her face.

"Bowling isn't a sport." He answered. "I could beat you at football."

Ziva's eyes widened, but she wasn't one to back down from a challenge. "No you couldn't Tony, I believe I could beat you at even football."

"Oh please, you—" He was cut off by Ziva, "Don't believe me? I will prove it to you."

Tony rolled his eyes. He went inside and emerged a few minutes later with a football. "Let's see you prove it to me. How about we each have to get the ball past the other five times?"

She nodded and he grinned, there was no way she was going to beat him at his best sport.

They got into their positions and Tony ran. He underestimated how fast and strong Ziva was and she tackled him in only a matter of moments.

Tony groaned, he really should be wearing pads. He got back up and shrugged, "I just didn't expect you to run that fast." He said. "Come on, go back to where you were before and I'll get it past you this time."

Ziva shrugged and went back. Sure enough, Tony did get it past her. He did this three more times then handed her the ball. "I got four out of five Ziva; you can't win unless you get past me every time."

Ziva smirked and went to her place. She began to run and got past Tony, who simply rolled his eyes and motioned for her to go again. This time he had her on the ground in a matter of moments, there was no way he'd tackle any girl except Ziva, but he knew she could take care of herself.

Tony grinned as he caught her two more times, then got ready for her final try.

She ran and Tony headed after her, she switched directions which threw him off for a moment, but Tony quickly recovered and headed after her. He caught her and tackled her to the ground, only this time he fell on top of her. He wasn't sure what it was, but Tony felt something between them change. Ziva held her breath and all he could notice was how close she was. She'd fallen to the ground in a way that his face was right next to hers. He stared into her eyes and neither of them moved for a minute.

He just laid there, staring into her eyes until the cook shattered the moment by calling him for supper.

Tony quickly got up and dusted himself off, Ziva doing likewise.

He could feel himself blushing, something he didn't normally do, when she looked at him.

She mumbled something about having to get home for supper and he only nodded, refusing to look her in the eyes. She turned around and grabbed Jake, taking him home with her.

Tony headed inside, all the while wondering if she had felt it too.

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**Thanks for reading and please review! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Hey! This is in Ziva's point of view since the story has pretty much been in Tony's viewpoint. I hope you like the chapter and must say that I am rather pleased with how fast I've been updating, my exams are over as of today so I will hopefully be able to keep the quick updates up! I hope that you reading this chapter as much as I enjoy reading your reviews (which really do put a huge smile on my face.) I can't wait to see the new episode of NCIS tonight! (I hope the writers finally give us the Tiva we've all been waiting for!) Well, until they do put them together on the show I can keep writing about it here. :) I really hope you enjoy this chapter, thanks for reading!  


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Ziva hurried away from Tony's house, trying to flee from her thoughts. What had he just done to her?

They were just goofing around, being her and Tony, and then something changed. He landed on top of her and gave her this look, like he wanted to kiss her. The oddest part was that she had wanted to kiss him back.

Ziva waited until she was out of site before sitting down on the curb, what had Tony done to her?

He was one of her best friends, had been ever since she came to America a few years ago. They were always joking around and spending time together. They were really good friends, yet suddenly he had her wondering if they were anything more.

The little 'incident' made her realize that maybe they _were_ more than friends. Then again, she'd known him for years, yet she'd never had these thoughts or feelings for him before...

Sure she'd noticed that he was hot, funny and charming, but it wasn't like she was the only girl to notice that.

Sure she'd felt a little bit jealous when he dated and flirted with other girls, but she'd always told herself that was just because the other girls weren't right for him. It wasn't that she was jealous, they just didn't fit together as well as she and Tony did--It felt like she ran into a wall when Ziva suddenly realized that these feelings weren't so fresh.

She'd had these thoughts about Tony before. She'd noticed how hot he was, how charming he was. Ziva had realized that he was special from the moment she met him. She'd been having thoughts like this about Tony for a while now, only it took the look Tony just gave her to make her admit it.

Ziva smirked to herself. She was simply over reacting. She was imagining things. She didn't have feelings for Tony. Tony didn't give her "a look." They were best friends, nothing more, nothing less. She was simply letting her imagination run away with her again.

Ziva pushed herself up off the curb and grabbed Jake, then began to make her way home, realizing now how silly she was being. She laughed silently to herself, her and Tony? An item? It took all of her strength not to laugh out loud at how ridiculous she was being, what had she been thinking?

Ziva rolled at herself and smiled, she really did have quite some imagination didn't she?

Ziva continued on her way home at a slow pace, her parents wouldn't be home until later so there was no need to hurry.

Realizing she was hungry Ziva changed directions and headed towards a diner only a little out of her way. It was one of her favourite spots to hang out and there was almost _always_ one of her friends there.

Ziva opened the door and went inside; she spotted a group of her friends who motioned for her to join them. She did so and chose an open seat next to Melissa.

All her friends smiled at her, making Ziva wonder what was up, "What?"

Ziva noticed the way all of her friends assumed innocent looks, everyone except Melissa who looked very guilty. Ziva rolled her eyes and asked again, "What is it?"

This time everyone looked to Melissa, confirming Ziva's original suspicions, "Well?" She asked impatiently.

Melissa smiled sweetly and Ziva groaned, the only time Melissa smiled like that was when something very bad was about to happen. "Well… you see Ziva…. What do you think of Tony?"

Ziva was thrown off guard; she was expecting something totally different. She shrugged and said, "We're friends, why?"

Melissa stuttered, "Well… You see, I, uh… Never mind."

Ziva rolled her eyes, "What ever it is, just say it."

Melissa nodded and said, "He sorta asked me out."

Everyone's eyes looked to Ziva waiting for a response. Ziva faked a smile and forced herself to ask, "Good for you! When are you going out?"

Melissa smiled, "I don't know yet, you don't have a problem with this do you?"

"No." Ziva lied. It wasn't as if she could tell them the truth. It wasn't as if she could tell them that they just broke her heart. She couldn't tell them about the football game and the look she was now sure didn't exist. She couldn't tell them that she was only lying to herself when she believed Tony might love her back.

Ziva fought to keep her expressions under control under her new revelation, _love?_ What had she meant when she just said that Tony didn't love her _back?_ Did that mean that she loved him?

"Yes." An inner voice answered. She tried to ignore it and pretend that these feelings didn't exist, yet she couldn't convince herself.

Ziva realized that everyone was staring at her and smiled, "What?"

"Nothing." They all answered at once and Ziva rolled her eyes, she thought they were going to make her ask again, but Melissa explained before she had to.

"You're sure you're fine with me and Tony?"

Ziva nodded and lied again, "Yes, I believe with have already covered this. Besides, why would I care who Tony dates?"

Ziva knew that was a stupid question to ask, seeing as she didn't really want to hear the answer, but thankfully for her Melissa only smiled. "Oh, it's nothing."

"No, it's not. Why?" Ziva didn't know why she was doing this to herself, why she was putting herself through this torture when she was pretty sure what her friends were trying to get at--they knew too. They knew she loved him, but if they knew, who else did?

Ziva looked at Melissa expectantly, knowing all the while that she should back down and forget about it, but also knowing that wasn't going to happen.

Thankfully for Ziva, Melissa was doubting her original take on Tony and Ziva's relationship and decided to back away before it got any more awkward, "Oh no reason, just making sure that since we're both your friends it won't get awkward." She smiled.

Ziva forced a smile, "Nope, doesn't matter for me, but congratulations. I actually have to go…."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay and talk for a while?" Rachel asked, obviously concerned.

Ziva shook her head, she had to get out of here before she broke down into tears and they all knew, "No, I… I was just going to grab a quick drink, but my parents will be home soon for supper and I haven't even started on my homework."

Ziva waved goodbye and headed off for home, desperately wishing that she could forget the conversation she just had. She was so stupid to think Tony loved her! She was so stupid for falling in love with her best friend! She was…

Ziva ranted on and on about herself as she made her way home, hoping that if she stayed angry enough, maybe she wouldn't be forced to face her heartbreak.

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**Okay so I am sorry for ending this one so sadly but I want to keep the story going on a little longer. I hope you don't lose interest because of a sad ending, cause there is more to come! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading! (Please Review!)**


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Thanks for the reivews! I love reading them and it really inspires me to write faster/better/more. So I was so happy with the reviews that I wrote a longer chapter (longest one yet) and I hope that you all enjoy it. I would really like to hear more from you guys, tell me if I'm doing a good/okay/bad job so that I know if I should keep writing like this, or where I need to improve. Thank you all for reading, I hope that you all enjoy reading this fanfic as much as I enjoy writing it! :) Enjoy!  


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Tony shut his car off and grabbed his backpack before hurrying into school. He put his bag away and grabbed his health textbook. He slowly made his way over to Ziva and her friends, he flashed them all a huge grin as they turned to greet him.

"Hey Tony." They said almost in unison, Tony's grin got even wider at the way they all looked at him, his grin disappeared however when Ziva rolled her eyes.

He turned to her, "Where's Jake?"

Ziva's eyes grew wide, "Oh my gosh! I have to call my dad!"

Tony laughed as Ziva rushed off, dialling her home number on her cell phone.

He turned back to the other girls, wondering why they weren't laughing too and couldn't help a silly grin from crossing his face as all he noticed quite a few others were also calling home with worried looks on their faces.

Tony merely shook his head and followed Ziva, after all the baby was his responsibility too. He found her outside, waiting for her dad to drop Jake off. He walked up to her and grinned, "I guess this makes me the responsible one in the relationship…"

He waited for a response and grinned when Ziva looked towards him, "You wish, everyone makes mistakes but I'm still the responsible one."

Tony was about to object when Ziva's dad drove in the school parking lot. Ziva ran to the car just as her dad was getting out. He smirked at her, knowing that he needn't say anything more, Tony would take care of that. "Thanks Dad." Ziva said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, I owe you one."

"You owe me many, but that's okay, just don't loose him again, something tells me this doll isn't cheap."

"Thanks Gibbs." Tony said, making sure to drop the mister as Ziva's dad didn't like the sound of it much.

Gibbs nodded, "No problem Tony, just try and watch Jake more closely, seeing as you can't expect Ziva to do so." Tony nodded at the glare Ziva gave her father.

"Bye Dad, you can go now." She said, practically shoving him in the car.

"What? I don't get to talk to your friends?" He asked teasingly. Ziva rolled her eyes and closed the car door for him. "See you tonight!"

Tony grinned and walked towards Ziva, "Here, I'll take Jake, I don't want you to loose him again."

She rolled her eyes, "If I so irresponsible maybe you should take care of Jake all by yourself and I will relax, that way I won't lose him." She looked at Tony, waiting for a response.

"Uh… yeah about that… Um… Everyone makes mistakes?"

Ziva grinned and took Jake back, "That's what I thought."

They quickly walked to health class and sat down just as the bell rang.

Dr. Mallard began, "Good morning class. I hope that you are all making excellent progress on your baby assignments. Today we will be learning more about…."

Tony let his mind wander while Dr. Mallard rambled on. Tony thought back to before class and the how cute Ziva looked when she realized she'd forgotten Jake. It had taken all of his self-control not to kiss her right then, but he didn't dare try that yet. He had to make sure she felt the same way first; he had to make sure he wasn't just setting himself up for a broken heart.

Tony thought back to yesterday's events. He couldn't have been happier when Ziva was assigned to be his partner. Although they were best friends and therefore spent lots of time together, they rarely got to spend time just the two of them, the way they would have to for a good portion of this week.

He'd really enjoyed yesterday, although their football game left him with more questions than answers.

Tony knew how he felt. He'd fought it for a long time, but he finally admitted to himself that he was in love with Ziva last year. Ever since then he'd been watching her intently at any chance he got, hoping that she would drop him a clue.

Until yesterday, he didn't have any luck. He'd tried making her jealous, but that never worked. He'd tried hinting to her, but that didn't work. Tony had been sure that she didn't return his feelings, and the thought really stung, but then they played football. He never would've thought that tackling her would change everything so quickly.

He could've sworn that he saw something in her eyes after he fell on her. That one look in her eyes had given him hope that maybe she did care. Maybe she did see him as more than a friend.

He was about to lean in and kiss her before the stupid cook called him in. Then things became awkward. They'd both gotten up as quickly as they could, and they couldn't even look each other in the eyes afterwards.

Tony was up all night replaying the scene in his head, trying to figure out if she had wanted to kiss him as much as he had wanted to kiss her. Judging by the look in her eyes she did. Tony grinned as he thought about the possibility that she loved him.

He quickly stole a glance at her and flashed his "DiNozzo Grin" when he noticed she was watching him.

Tony braced himself for the eye roll that was sure to come his way, but the bell rang before anything could happen.

Everyone filed out of the room and headed for their lockers, Tony stuffed his books in his locker and leaned against his locker so he could watch Ziva. She was chatting animatedly with Abby and had a huge smile on her face.

Tony grinned and slowly made his way towards them, "Hey."

They turned to him and smiled, "Hey."

Ziva turned around to grab Jake and Tony subtly checked her out. A huge grin spread across his face, but he quickly hid it as he noticed Abby smiling at him.

She opened her mouth to say something but Tony cut her off before she could, "So I was just wondering if you still had Jake."

Abby looked confused, "Of course she does, where else would he be."

Tony grinned mischievously, "Well, she could do what she did this morning and lose him."

Abby's eyes grew wide and Ziva turned around quickly, handing Jake over. "I did not _lose_ him, I knew exactly where he was, I simply didn't bring him to school with me."

"Yeah… sure." Tony said, sarcasm dripping in his tone. Ziva opened her mouth to speak but he didn't let her, "Anyways, I have to go, see you guys at lunch."

He walked away and Ziva yelled, "I did not lose him!"

Tony simply rolled his eyes, he really loved teasing her and her stubbornness was just one more thing that he loved about her.

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony made his way towards the cafeteria, math class had seemed to last even longer than normal today. He couldn't wait to talk to Ziva and see if anything had actually changed between them since last night.

He really hoped that something had, he hoped that there really was a "look" in her eyes when he fell on top of her.

It was that look that could either fulfill his dreams or be the driving force of his nightmares. Tony inhaled to calm his nerves before he went into the cafeteria.

Pushing open the doors he went and bought his lunch. Tony was looking around the room, looking for Ziva when he stopped dead in his tracks. Tony saw Ziva, but he didn't like what he saw with her.

Matt was leaning against table and talking to her, Tony could tell just by their body language that they were flirting.

He watched as Matt leaned closer to Ziva and she smiled, Tony was filled with rage as he realized what Matt was doing--he was using Tony's method of hitting on a girl, the one Tony used right before he asked a girl out.

Sure enough, Ziva nodded and Matt grinned, making Tony's blood boil.

Tony turned around and slammed his tray down, he grabbed Jake and didn't even bother to cover his anger as he stormed out of the room. Thankfully the cafeteria was large and although Tony turned a few heads, neither Ziva nor Matt looked at him.

Tony made his way to his lockers so he could get his car keys. Tony fumbled with the lock but it refused to budge, adding to his frustration.

He was so angry that he began kicking his locker, after only a couple bangs students were looking his way. Tony pulled himself together and tried one more time, this time the lock gave way and he grabbed his keys.

He closed his locker with a bit more force than necessary and hadn't even realized that Melissa had walked up to him, "Tony what's wrong?" She asked with concern in her voice.

Tony shook his head; he wasn't in any mood to talk to anyone right now so he simply said, "Nothing."

He began to walk away but Melissa followed him outside. Tony was almost at his car when he turned around and faced her. "WHAT?!"

Melissa looked a little miffed at the way he was acting, but she inhaled to calm herself, "What's wrong Tony?"

He gritted his teeth to help control his anger as he answered, "Nothing."

Melissa simply looked at him, "Tony…"

"No!" He exploded, "Nothing is wrong now will you PLEASE leave me alone?!"

Melissa looked a little hurt and she backed down, "Whatever, keep it all locked up and let it gnaw at you over time, see what it matters to me. By the way, I had wanted to ask you if instead of catching a movie you'd like to go to the dance this Friday for our first date, but the way you're acting I'm not sure if there's going to _be_ a first date!"

She turned on her heel and began walking away but Tony caught up with her. He instantly felt bad for the way he was treating her, it wasn't her fault Ziva didn't love him.

He attempted to swallow the pain as he touched her arm, "Look, Melissa, I'm sorry."

He began but she ripped her arm from his grip, "I forgive you…"

She began and noticed the way Tony grinned, making him seem more like himself again. She continued, "On one condition… you tell me what's really bothering you."

Tony's grin disappeared and a sour look came over his face upon remembering what had just happened and how easily his heart had shattered into a million pieces when he saw Ziva accept Matt's offer to what Tony guessed was the dance.

He forced a grin to his face and began, "It's nothing."

_Liar!_

He saw the doubt in Melissa's eyes and shrugged, "I'm sorry, just having a bad day and my temper got the best of me, please go to the dance with me?"

He flashed her his infamous "DiNozzo grin" as all the girls at school called it, and even though the sparkle in his eye was gone Melissa nodded.

"Fine, I'll go. You'll pick me up at 7?"

Tony nodded, "Sure, I'll see you then. Again, I'm sorry I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you, it's not your fault I keep refusing to accept reality, guess after what I just saw I don't have much choice anymore." He grinned, doing what he always did, trying to cover up his pain with a smile and a joke, hoping no one would dig any deeper.

He smiled at her but continued talking before she could ask him what he meant, "You going to watch my game tomorrow night?"

Melissa paused, she was wondering if she should continue digging and find out what Tony meant or simply forget it like he obviously wanted her too. Her eyes showed uncertainty, but when she saw the pain in his she decided to let it go, he'd tell her when he was ready.

Grinning she said, "You bet, I can't wait to see my boyfriend beat the Ridgeton team. I'll be cheering for you." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before walking back inside school.

Tony grinned and watched her walk away, but even after her kiss he couldn't help but think about how much happier he'd be with Ziva--how he was sure he could make her happy if only she gave him chance.

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**Thanks for reading :) I love hearing back from you so please review! Also, I have tons of ideas for this story, but if you have any suggestions at all, I would love to hear them and I'll try to fit them in the story (as long as it fits with the plot.) Again thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Thank you so much for reading! I am quite happy with myself for updating so quickly on this story, plus I am writing longer chapters (this is the longest one yet). I want to thank you all for reading this story and it really makes me happy to know that others enjoy my writing. :) This being said I do want to ask you if you could please review! I love hearing from all of you and right now I am trying to find out if it is worth it to continue the story. So please let me know how I am doing, (and if you think I should stop writing, you can tell me, I can handle it). Also, constructive criticism is always welcome to help me improve. I am a new writer so I am sure that I have a lot to learn. :) Anyways, I hope that you enjoy this chapter! **Read Authors note at bottom.**

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The bell rang and ended school for the day. Ziva rushed out of class and headed for her lockers. She'd looked for Tony but hadn't seen him at lunch, which meant that he was stuck with Jake for the whole day.

Ziva packed her backpack and headed over to Tony's locker. He was putting his books in his bag, even with his back turned to her Ziva could tell something was wrong. "Hey Tony."

Tony turned around and looked at her, she noticed the way a little sparkle came back to his eyes, but she also noticed how quickly it disappeared, his frown seemed to deepen as he looked at her.

She wasn't sure what she had done, but the way he was looking at her Ziva was sure she was the problem, "Look, if this is about you having to watch over Jake for the whole day, I'm sorry but I couldn't find you at lunch."

Tony's frown deepened at the mention of lunch but he quickly covered it up with what Ziva could tell was a fake grin. "It's fine I was having a bad day so I went for a drive."

Ziva nodded, "So… Did you want to go to your place or mine?"

Tony looked at her, doubt evident in his eyes, he didn't want to be put through any more torture today. He couldn't handle another scene like the one in the cafeteria, but he knew he had to spend time with her for their project, "Mine, my house is closer. I'll drive you there."

Ziva nodded, wondering what was wrong. She waited until they were in his car before asking, "Tony, are you okay?"

He didn't look at her when he replied, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're sure you're not made that you were stuck with Jake all day?"

Tony shook his head, "I'm fine Ziva. So, what did _you_ do all lunch?" He asked, even though he didn't really want to know what she did with Matt after he left.

"Oh, nothing much. I ate lunch and talked to my friends, oh! Matt asked me out." She looked at him, hoping for at least a small reaction, but when he gave her none she sighed.

Tony looked at her from the corner of his eyes, "What? You're not so happy that he asked you out?"

Ziva thought she heard a bit of hopefulness in his voice, but realized it as her imagination; she started to admit that she had really wanted _him_ to ask her out, but she stopped herself. "No, I'm happy. Now I've got a date for the dance. I heard you're going with Melissa."

Tony looked at her, "How'd you know that?"

He saw a look of pain in her eyes, but dismissed it as his imagination. "Melissa told me."

Tony nodded, "She's that excited huh?" He asked and grinned.

Ziva nodded, but refused to look at him.

Tony realized they were at his house and stopped the car. They got out and went to the dining room. Tony threw his books on the floor, "So I was thinking that we could do our homework, since there's nothing better to do."

She shrugged so he took his books out, he watched her out of the corner of his eye as she did the same.

She straightened up and he looked away so she wouldn't catch him staring at her. It's bad enough that she didn't like him that way, if she ever found out how he felt… Things would become awkward and as much as Tony wanted something more with Ziva, he'd rather have her as his friend then as nothing at all.

He felt her watching him and turned around, he grinned at the small blush that made its way across her face. She sat down and Tony sat next to her. His heart immediately started beating faster as he got closer to her.

Tony looked over at her and couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she was confused. He looked at her page and saw why; physics wasn't his strongest point either.

"Tony, what is this?"

He got up and leaned over her shoulder. He noticed the way she tensed at his close proximity, pushing the thought back in his mind so he could revisit it later.

He leaned a little closer in to tease her, but soon regretted doing so as being this close to her also had an effect on _him._

He noticed the way that she was chewing on her lip, something he noticed she did when she was nervous. He grinned at her but redirected his attention towards the page when she looked at him.

"I… uh… I'm not sure what it is." He began, but soon found himself looking at her again.

This time he didn't look away when she looked at him. Instead he stared into her eyes, searching them for any sign of her feelings for him.

He noticed how she looked hesitant and a little scared. He grinned and noticed then suddenly realized how close they were. Her face was less than an inch away from his, and they both seemed to be holding their breath.

He tried to force these thoughts out of his head, but he couldn't help his gaze from quickly glancing at Ziva's lips. He couldn't help but think about how easy it would be to close the distance between them and find out for sure where she stood on their relationship.

He looked back up into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes and felt a magnetic pull towards her. He began to lean in slightly, but he pulled back quickly when he remembered the way she broke his heart earlier today. He looked away as he remembered the way she flirted with Matt and accepted his offer to the dance.

He coughed, trying to break the awkward silence. He sat back down in his seat, not even daring to look at her, fearing that his true feelings would show if he did. What had gotten in to him? What was he thinking? He couldn't kiss Ziva! So why had he nearly given in to the urge to do so?

As soon as Tony asked himself these questions he knew the answer. He'd loved Ziva for a very long time now, and not being able to tell her was slowly eating him up inside.

Tony dared to take a quick glance towards Ziva, he noticed the way that she quickly looked away from him. He sighed and ran his left hand through his hair, had he just ruined everything between them? She wouldn't even look at him, definitely a bad sign.

He thought about apologizing but realized that addressing the issue would only lead to complications. He glanced over at her and noticed the way that she refused to look back at him.

Tony practically jumped up from his chair to escape the thoughts that were overwhelming him. Ziva looked at him oddly, and he quickly covered, "Want to listen to some music?"

Ziva nodded and Tony went and got a radio. He put it on and turned it up, sitting down he tried to focus, but his thoughts were interrupted by the host of the radio station. Tony could've sworn that the host was talking right to him when he said,

"_This next song is for all you guys out there who are in love but to afraid to admit it…"_

Tony glanced nervously at Ziva, wondering if he should quickly change the song or if that would make it too obvious.

"_Well love is a wonderful thing and what you really need to tell her is '_I'm crazy for this girl_'…_

_She rolls the window down  
And she  
Talks over the sound  
Of the cars that pass us by  
And I don't know why  
But she's changed my mind_

_Would you look at her  
She looks at me  
She's got me thinking about her constantly  
But she don't know how I feel  
And as she carries on without a doubt  
I wonder if she's figured out  
I'm crazy for this girl _

Tony was blushing furiously as he realized how this song hit a little too close to home. He was constantly looking at and thinking about her, he really was crazy about her.

He jumped up to change the station before things got even more awkward, he could feel himself blushing but tried to hide it.

As soon as he changed the song Ziva looked up from her books, "Why'd you change the song?"

Tony cleared his throat, "Oh…. I'm just not much of a fan of, uh… sappy love songs. I mean if a guy likes a girl as much as he does in that song he should just tell her."

Tony knew that he was being _very_ hypocritical right now, but he had to say something. She looked at him with pain in her eyes as she realized that if that was truly how Tony felt he really didn't have any feelings for her; if he did he would've told her already.

He sat down, but Ziva wasn't done talking, "Well _Tony_," Tony frowned, assured from her tone he'd done something wrong he waited for the fireworks. "Some guys really like a girl and they don't want to have to face their fear of rejection, then again I couldn't expect you to understand about _true_ feelings."

Tony winced, even though he wasn't sure what he did to make her so upset he knew she was speaking out of anger, yet it still hurt. He knew exactly what she meant, he had true feelings for her for a very long time now, he just wouldn't tell her because, like she said, he was afraid of rejection. He knew he couldn't take the heartbreak of having her not love him back, so he covered up his feelings with jokes and lame excuses.

Ziva still had to release all of her anger and frustration though, so she kept going, "You know Tony, I feel sorry for you because even though you can get any girl you want with your charm and good looks, you'll never know what it's like to have a _true _relationship!"

Tony grinned, "You think I've got charm and good looks?"

He was attempting to flirt with her and divert her attention from love, but his comment only made her madder. "What is wrong with you Tony?! Here I'm trying to have a real, _mature_ conversation and you can't even give me that! I'm merely trying to show you that although these quick relationships may be nice for now, if you keep this up you'll never know what it's like to be in a _real_ relationship with _real_ feelings. That's the difference between you and me Tony, I realize that quick flings mean happiness now but I want a more mature relationship so I'll be happy for more than a couple of days!"

Tony's back went rigid, she'd struck a chord with him and it made him angry. "Mature? MATURE?! What do you mean you have _mature _relationships? You think _Matt_ is mature?! He's no different than me Ziva and you know it!"

Ziva shot daggers at Tony with her eyes, "Yes Tony, I _do _think that Matt is mature. He was mature enough to actually ask me out _without_ checking any other girls out while doing so, which is more than I can ever say for you!"

Tony couldn't control his anger, "You know what Ziva? I do know what real feelings are like, okay? I love…" He paused, thankful that he stopped himself from saying the next word. He couldn't tell her he loved her because she made it quite clear that she didn't love him back.

Tony continued, "I love… someone, only they don't love me back. So don't you bother telling me about real feelings okay? Maybe I changed the song because it hit a little too close to home that the girl I love doesn't love me back and so I don't dare tell her how I feel?"

Ziva scoffed, "Oh come on Tony! Every girl at school loves you and don't even bother trying to deny it! You could have any girl you want but you're too afraid to let it go any deeper than good looks. Maybe if you actually let your guard down you'd be able to realize a good thing when you see one!!!"

Tony glared at her, "I've already let it go deeper than just good looks! I'm telling you that I'm in love, and I'll tell you where you're wrong, as much as I love her, she's the _one girl_ who isn't impressed with me, and it drives me crazy whenever I'm around her that she's the one that I want. It breaks my heart whenever I see her knowing that as much as I love her I'll never be able to have her!"

Ziva felt like her heart was breaking, he was in love. She was too late, he'd already found love elsewhere and now they'd never be together. She felt her shoulders slump in defeat but straightened them again, even if it was the last thing she'd do, she'd leave here with her pride.

She opened her mouth to speak but Tony cut her off, "I know a good thing when I see one Ziva, don't even try to tell me otherwise because I realized a good thing when I saw her and I know that she's the best thing that's ever happened to me! Besides I can't believe that you'd come in here, lecturing me about love and true feelings and how I use my looks to get any girl we want. We both know that the same is true for you, every single guy who's ever met you is drooling over you. I can't get anyone I want, despite what you may say but I know for a fact that _every guy_ in school loves you!"

Ziva picked up her bag and flung it over her shoulder, she grabbed Jake and refused to look Tony in the eye when she said, "The only one I want doesn't."

Then she left as quickly as she could, feeling defeated she slowly made her way back home, right now she didn't feel like talking to anyone, she just wanted to be alone.

She hated the fact that Tony was in love with someone who wasn't her, she hated the fact that she had made herself appear so weak in front of him and how obvious she made her feelings.

She thought about their conversation as she walked home, and with every step she took, the hole Tony left in her heart grew.

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**Hey! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Please REview!**

**Also I want to give all credit of the song to Evan & Jaron and their amazing song that I just refound called "Crazy for this girl" **

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Hey I just want to say that due to the lack of reviews that I've been getting, I am unsure whether or not I should continue. I decided that if I get 15 reviews ****on chapter 6 ****than I will continue. I am sorry to upset any of you who _are_ enjoying the story, it is just that I want to make sure that people are actually reading and enjoying my story. I want to let you all know that my feelings will not be hurt if it's best that I leave this story behind. I will try other stories (don't feel pressured to read them) and I hope that they will be better. I am not blackmailing you for the reviews I just want to make sure that I am not wasting my time when I write this story. Thank you for the reviews that you have submitted, I really did get very happy reading them. So basically if you think this story is worth continuing, please review. (Or review and tell me not to continue, I really can take it:) I am sorry to those who have enjoyed this story, and I thank those who have submitted constant reviews. I will either post a new chapter or an authors note tomorrow, depending on how you all react to this. **

**Thank you all so much for reading!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: So I guess you can tell that I **will**be continuing the story. :) Although I received 13 (not 15) reviews, they were such nice ones that I will still write the story. Thank you all for reviewing, I really appreciate it and I got all happy reading them! I thank you all so much you really made my day. I also hope you know I was simply trying to find out if the story was worth continuing, not blackmailing you for reviews to make myself feel better. Well, your answers were yes, please continue so that is exactly what I am doing! :) Thanks for reading and thanks for reviewing. I think that you will all enjoy this chapter. I really liked writing it. I hope you like it, and thank you for reading. :)**

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Tony walked over to the radio and shut it off.

He forced himself to calm down so that he could think rationally. Once his anger went away he was filled with sorrow and regret.

What had he done? He had almost told Ziva he loved her, meanwhile she's dating his friend. Tony rolled his eyes, after what Matt pulled, asking Ziva out, Tony wasn't even sure if they were still friends anymore. After all, friends don't ask out another friends girl, right?

Tony walked into the living room and plopped himself down on the couch--he needed to think.

Tony simply lay there, trying to make sense of it all. How could Matt ask Ziva out? Tony sighed, why wouldn't he? She was smart, funny, beautiful, she was perfect and Tony repeatedly mentioned that he _didn't _love her.

He sighed in frustration, knowing that it was all his fault that he was in this situation.

He could talk to Matt about it, but Tony shook his head. Talking about "love and feelings" was not something guys did, no matter how close they were.

He pushed himself up off the couch and started pacing in front of it, what did he do now?

He couldn't tell Matt, he couldn't tell Ziva... Tony ran his left hand through his hair, worried about the thought that popped into his head.

What if he already did? What if he already told Ziva he loved her?

What if she knew what, or rather who, he was talking about before? Is that why she left so suddenly? Does she know? Tony shook his head, she didn't know, she _couldn't _know. She didn't say anything...

_What have I done?_

Tony dismissed that thought, he knew Ziva well, and he knew that she wasn't one to run from problems, if she knew he loved her, she'd confront him. This caused him to smile, he could just picture her facing off with him in one of their many arguments, only this time it wasn't being caused by something stupid he'd said or done. This time she'd be initiating the arguement, trying to show him how stupid he was being to have these feelings, she'd tell him that she didn't feel the same way and he needed to move on.

This thought sobered Tony up, his smile disappeared and he found himself clutching his chest. The incredible pain was coming from his heart, it was breaking just thinking about Ziva not loving him.

He winced at the next thought that came into his mind, not only did she _not_ love him, she'd just told him that she loved someone else.

She had unknowingly broken his heart when she told him that she loved someone else. Now, being alone with his thoughts, it hurt even more.

He couldn't help but dwell on the fact that she didn't love him, and how stupid he was to ever believe otherwise.

He knew he should move on and forget her like he did all the other girls, only Ziva was different. He couldn't move on, and he was torturing himself by wondering who it was that she loved.

Tony ran all of the possibilities out before him. She said that he didn't love her back... That leaves all the guys who only want her for her looks, meaning every guy but him.

Tony sighed and ran his hand through his hair, who is it? Matt? She _did_ accept his offer to the dance, and she looked very happy when he asked her.

Tony couldn't help it, he knew it wasn't Matt's fault but he couldn't help but begin to feel angry. Matt was his friend! How could he do this?

Tony went into his training room and began to take his frustrations out on the punching bag. WHY? Why did this have to happen to him? What did he do to deserve this?

He was out of breath so he walked to the wall and leaned against it for support. His life was going great until _she_ came in and ruined everything for him.

Tony slumped to the ground in defeat at that thought. As much pain as Ziva had brought with her when she walked into his life, he was glad to have met her.

He was only trying to take his frustrations out, she didn't _ruin _his life, she made it better. As much pain and confusion she put him through, Tony had to admit that he was never happier than when he spent his time with her.

He loved making her laugh and her smile lit up the room. She was always there for him. He still remembered last year when he had lost his team the championship game. She had repeatedly told him not to worry, that no one is perfect, she'd even made him laugh when she paused and added, "not even me."

Tony grinned at the memory; it was just one more example of how amazing she was, the way that she could make him laugh even in the worst situations.

He loved correcting her idioms, and she always put a goofy grin on his face at the exasperated look she'd give him whenever he did.

The doorbell rang, interrupting his thoughts. Tony went downstairs and opened the door to find Ziva standing there.

Tony braced himself for another shouting match, but was surprised when she began, "I'm sorry, what I said was uncalled for."

Tony was sure his mind was playing tricks on him, not only was the stubborn Ziva the first to give in, she was apologizing? His mouth practically dropped open in shock but he quickly shut it at the glare she sent him.

"My apologies are not _that_ rare Tony."

Tony shook his head and grinned, "Well…"

Ziva cut him off, "Then again, you're probably right, I don't apologize often." She smirked at the look of shock on his face to see her give in so easily. His face returned to its' normal grin, however, when she continued, "I just don't mess up often enough to have much to apologize for."

She smirked, but her smile went away, "Seriously Tony, I am sorry, I realize that you can have true feelings for a girl."

Tony noticed the pain in her eyes as she said the last part, but he wasn't sure what to make of it. "It's okay Zee, you were right too, I haven't had very meaningful relationships in the past—but this one's different, she's special."

Ziva nodded, refusing to look him in the eyes, "I know Tony, if you love her she must be." Tony nodded, finding this conversation very ironic, Ziva was unknowingly complimenting herself.

"She is."

Ziva still refused to look him in the eyes, but she simply nodded, "I am happy for you."

Tony nodded, not knowing what to say, "I'm sorry to Ziva, I was out of line too."

She nodded and dared to look up into his face. She could feel the magnetic pull his eyes had on her, but forced herself to forget about those thought, _he loves someone else._

Tony noticed her back straighten, though he wasn't sure why, "Friends?"

Ziva nodded, "Friends."

Tony grinned, but his silly grin was replaced by a huge smile when Ziva stepped forward and gave him a hug. He thought that for the full ten seconds she hugged him, he must've died and gone to Heaven.

He was blushing deeply, but his grin disappeared when she began pushing away. He wondered what he did wrong but Ziva simply looked at him and grinned, "You smell."

Tony grinned, "Well, Zee-vah, I was working out."

Ziva smirked, but didn't say anything, even though Tony could tell from the look on her face that she definitely had some evil thought running through her beautiful head. He realized he was standing in the doorway, "You want to come in?" He asked, but she shook her head.

"No, I have to go home but I wanted to apologize."

"Bye Ziva."

"Bye Tony." She said, he realized how she looked a little hesitant, then grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. She practically whispered "good luck with your girl" before making her way down the driveway.

Tony was shocked that she kissed him, but he was quite thankful that she left so quickly afterwards, because he was blushing furiously. Little did he know that so was she.

He closed the door and leaned against it, trying to take in everything that had just happened. As he was thinking about the kiss his hand made its' way up to his cheek, the only thought in his head being, "she kissed me!"

Even if it was only a small, non-romantic kiss on the cheek, that one kiss gave him a much bigger rush than his first real kiss had.

Tony had a stupid grin on his face as he thought back to the way she had so simply leaned in and given him a peck on the cheek. He also realized however, that if a small kiss like that could make him feel like he was, he needed to find out what it was like to be her actual boyfriend.

As much as Tony didn't want to lose his friendship with Ziva, that small kiss had shown him that sometimes you've got to take a risk. She made him realize that as great as their friendship was, he needed more.

Tony's nerves were making him shake as he picked up the phone, but the smile never left his face. He slowly punched in the phone number and held his breath while the phone rang. The world seemed to stop as a voice came on the other line, "Tony?"

Tony snapped himself out of his thoughts and answered, "Yeah, it's me… We need to talk."

The other voice seemed concerned, "Why? Is everything okay?"

Tony nodded, then realized she couldn't see him, "Yeah, everything's fine. Look, I really do need to talk to you; can I see you at the diner in about half an hour?"

She seemed hesitant but answered, "Sure… I'll see you then, bye Tony."

Tony breathed out slowly, "Bye Melissa."

* * *

**So... I don't think you were expecting him to be calling Melissa, but Tony's too classy a guy to tell Ziva he loves her while dating Melissa. So the next chapter will be him talking to Melissa, just as a little preview for ya. :) Again, I thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and if you did, please review! :)**

**P.S. I have some great ideas to put in the next chapter but if you have any suggestions let me know and I will try to write them in. 3  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Okay, so I must say that I am quite proud of myself and the way that I have (so far) put a chapter up each day. As promised, Tony is talking to Melissa, but it this chapter may not be what you expected. You'll find out soon enough why when you read it. I hope that you all like this chapter, I don't think it's my best one, but I tried, and I hope that you enjoy it. Thanks for reading and please review!

* * *

Tony got out of the car and made his way towards the diner, trying to figure out the exact words to say.

He went inside and chose a seat, for once in his life he was early, he knew he had to leave the house before he lost his nerve. It was only a matter of minutes before Melissa walked through the door, she looked around and saw him at the table. She smiled and sat down across from him.

Tony was searching for the right words to say, but Melissa beat him to it, "Look Tony, don't worry. I know what you're trying to say—it's over. I think that we both knew we wouldn't last long."

She smiled and Tony, after overcoming his shock, grinned. "Well, you know I think you're great. It's just that it's not the greatest time for me."

Melissa nodded and a huge smile spread across her face, making Tony wonder why she was taking this so well. "Tony, I understand, besides it's about time that you tell Ziva."

Tony's eyes went wide with shock, "Wha—what do you mean?"

Melissa simply smirked, "Oh come on Tony. I am fine with this, Ziva's my friend and I never should've gone out with you when you're in love with her."

Tony was blushing furiously, this was not how he was expecting this conversation to go, "I don't understand."

Melissa smirked, "It's okay Tony, I swear I won't tell her." She saw he was about to protest but continued before he could, "I know, you love her. I think it's cute, you two make the perfect couple if you ask me."

Tony blushed, he decided that it wasn't worth arguing about, Melissa already knew. "How did you know?" He asked, hoping that he wasn't _that_ obvious.

Melissa let out a little squeal of happiness, drawing attention from other tables. She lowered her voice and apologized, "Sorry, I'm just _so_ happy that you finally admit it." She smiled and continued, "Tony… Ziva is my friend, and I want her to be happy. As for your question, I know you love her because of many things. One, you're constantly staring at her when she isn't looking, you'll even watch her from your locker, which, by the way, is extremely cute."

Tony blushed and Melissa grinned, "That's another thing, the _only_ time I have _ever_ seen you blush is when someone talks about Ziva. Also, you smile and laugh more around her, not to mention the way that you save a special smile just for her."

Tony was really blushing now, how could he be so obvious? "So… If you found out that quickly… does Ziva know?"

He looked away, not sure if he was going to like her answer. He was very relieved when she began, "No. How she misses it, I don't know, but she doesn't know."

Tony grinned, thankful for at least that much. "So you're really okay with this?"

Melissa nodded, "Tony, this is going to sound weird, but I'm actually happy that you're breaking up with me, now you can be with Ziva. You have no idea how bad I felt when I told her you asked me out, her face just fell."

Tony was grinning stupidly, "Really?"

Melissa nodded and smiled, "See? You do love her!"

She raised her voice a little, making people look their way once again, this time she blushed and looked down. Once everyone's attention was back on their own conversations she continued, "Sorry. But Tony, there's one more thing."

Tony looked a little confused, "What is it?"

Melissa smiled, "I want to help you."

A huge grin spread across his face, making Melissa laugh, "You know, it really is cute how much you love her. I want to help you get rid of Matt."

Tony looked at her, unsure of what to say next, "What do you mean?" Melissa grinned, "I know how to break Matt and Ziva up so that you can tell her you love her."

Tony looked at his hands, he didn't want Ziva to be with Matt, but he didn't want to break them up either. "Matt's my friend, and Ziva might really like him."

Melissa smiled, "Awww... Tony that's so sweet. But don't worry, Matt won't know because Ziva's going to break up with him."

Tony looked at her, "And how do you know that?"

Melissa grinned mischievously, "I'm going to ask her to."

Tony smiled nervously, "Well, won't that be a little obvious; I mean she's going to want to know why."

Melissa was still grinning, "Yeah, and that's the beauty of it, she won't suspect a thing. I'll tell her that we're over; you broke it off, but that it was sort of my fault. I'll tell her that you broke it off because you knew I liked someone else. Then I'll tell her that the _someone else_ is Matt, and that I really like him. Ziva is a really good friend, so I know that she'll break up with him immediately."

Melissa sat back, obviously pleased with herself, "So?"

Tony looked at her with a huge grin on his face, "I like it! You'd really do all that?"

Melissa rolled her eyes, "Of course I would, Ziva's my friend and I want her to be happy. Plus, you've been waiting for this for what, three years? It's time you tell her."

Tony nodded, "I know, I just didn't want to mess this one up." He stood up and so did she, they were outside when Tony started, "Wait, Melissa. I want to say thanks, I really appreciate it, but also... would you mind, you know, not letting too many other people know?"

Melissa's face fell a little, she'd really wanted to tell the other girls, even hint to Ziva, but she nodded, "Sure. I promise."

Tony grinned and gave her a quick hug, "Thanks, I owe you a million!"

Melissa laughed, "It's fine Tony, just answer me one question."

Tony looked at her and nodded, "sure."

"Why the sudden change of heart? Don't get me wrong, I think it's great you're going to tell her, it's just... well, what made you want to tell her _now_?"

Tony flashed her a huge smile, "It's going to sound stupid because it was only a friendly thing on the cheek, but... she kissed me, it was just a friendly peck on the cheek, but it made me realize I couldn't wait any longer."

Melissa's eyes went wide and a huge grin spread across her face, "That's so sweet! So when are you going to tell her? I can't wait too long to talk to her about it!"

Tony grinned, "Um... I was thinking of telling her at the dance."

Melissa thought about it, and then nodded, "It's perfect, so romantic and everything, but how are you going to make sure no one else asks her?"

Tony frowned for a moment, then grinned, "Don't girls sometimes go to the dance with their friends?" At Melissa's nod he continued, "Well, I believe that's where a certain Goth comes in."

Melissa grinned and nodded, "I believe Abby's perfect for the job, she's wanted you and Ziva forever!"

Tony grinned, "Great! Thanks so much, like I said I owe you a million. Anyways, I've got to talk to Abby, but I'll see you later!"

~~~NCIS~~~

Tony quickly bought a Caf-Pow before heading over to Abby's. He'd called her in advance and told her to be waiting outside for him to pick her up. He stopped in front of her house and waited while Abby got in.

"So what was so important that you need to talk to me about?"

Tony looked over at her, he began to drive so he would have an excuse not to look at Abby while he said this, "I need your help. I broke up with Melissa, and she's agreed to break Matt and Ziva up so I can tell her."

"Tony, that's great!" Abby yhelled, she leaned over and gave him a big hug.

"Abby! I can't breath and I'm trying to drive!" Tony said as he swerved the car back into his lane.

Abby grinned, "Sorry, but that's _so_ great! I'm so happy for you guys! What can I do to help?"

Tony sighed, "Well, I need you to go to the dance with Ziva as her friend like girls do, that way no guys will go with her."

Abby grinned and nodded, "Sure! I can do that! But wait, you have to give me a little something for this!"

Tony grinned, "Caf-Pow's in the cup holder."

Abby looked at her high-energy drink and grinned, "Thanks Tony!"

Tony grinned, "No problem Abs, just make sure you ask her right after she breaks up with Matt."

Abby smiled, "Oh Tony I can't wait! Plus, if Ziva and I are going to the dance together we can totally go shopping for new dresses together!" Abby was already running through the different possibilities for dresses when Tony interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, that's right; I guess Tim and I are watching the babies?"

He grinned at the way Abby blushed at the mention of Tim. "How's it going between you and the cyber-wiz anyways?"

Abby blushed, "Well… Tony I want to talk more about you and Ziva!"

Tony laughed, "Sure Abs, whatever. I have to go home, but thanks so much for helping me with this."

Abby looked at him and smiled, "Are you kidding? I've been waiting for you two to confess for EVER! Just don't mess this one up Tony."

Tony looked at her and grinned nervously, "I won't Abby, she's special, there's no way I'm going to let her go."

Abby smiled, content with his answer. Tony dropped her off at her house and drove home. As much as he wanted to believe that Friday was going to go off with out a problem, he knew that there was a risk that he not only embarrassed himself, but ruined his friendship with Ziva forever. He prayed that she felt the same way about him, but he couldn't help but worry. If by some miracle she loved him back, would it end like all his other relationships? Tony shook his head, no. Ziva was special, and there was no way he'd screw this up.

Even with that thought, he couldn't help but remember Abby's words, _"Just don't mess this one up Tony."

* * *

_**Thanks so much for reading, now please tell me how I'm doing and review! :) Hope you enjoyed!**_  
_


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Okay, so I must say that I am quite proud of myself and the way that I have (so far) put a chapter up each day. So... This chapter has both Tony and Ziva in it, but I won't give too much away. I just have to remind you that Ziva thinks Tony loves someone else, it's everyone else that realizes he actually loves her. :p Just thought I would clear that up, because if you forgot that this chapter would seem like a step backwards. Anyways, thank you all for reviewing! I also want to thank you for reading this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

* * *

Ziva woke up to her alarm buzzing; she immediately got out of bed and put on her running clothes. After pulling her hair up into a ponytail she set off to her morning jog. Although some people thought five-thirty was much too early to get up, Ziva loved the mornings. They were peaceful and quiet, she thought best in the mornings and her morning jog let her see the world while everyone else was asleep.

She rounded a corner and was surprised to see another figure running, Ziva laughed silently to herself at how the jogger must be new. He was dragging his feet, a sure sign that he was not typically up this early in the morning. Ziva smirked as she ran past him, but she was only a few feet ahead of the runner when she realized who she'd just passed.

Turning around confirmed her thoughts, "Tony? What are you doing here?"

Tony looked up at her and she almost burst into laughter at the groggy look on his face, his speech was still slurred with sleep when he answered, "Just thought I'd get in a run."

Ziva smirked, "Tony? You running? At five-thirty in the morning?"

Tony nodded, "Dumb idea, don't know why any more." He lied, he knew why, she was why. He'd gotten up extra-early to meet her on her regular route, of course he'd only thought about seeing her, not getting up early or having to go for a run.

Ziva looked amused at the way he was panting and dragging his feet, "Why were you running here? Shouldn't you be running closer to your house?"

Tony looked up and she saw panic in his eyes for a moment, but he recovered quickly and grinned, "Heading to the diner, food and drink will energize me, you want to come?"

Ziva grinned, "Can't, the diner's not open this early."

Tony stopped running and stared at her, he finally started running again, "You're not serious are you?"

Ziva chuckled, "I am serious, but the look on your face in priceless."

Tony grinned as he pushed himself on, he'd woken up early to run with Ziva, he was going to run with Ziva. "So… Melissa tell you we broke up?"

Tony grinned as he noticed a small smile on Ziva's face, she quickly covered it up, however and answered, "Yeah she did. Too bad, you two would've made a cute couple."

She forced the last part, but Tony didn't seem to notice, he was too busy thinking about how happy she seemed he and Melissa were over. "So… How's it going with you and Matt?" He couldn't help but ask, wondering if they were already over.

Ziva didn't bat an eye when she said, "Oh, yeah we broke up."

Tony smirked a little, but hid it and stopped running in fake shock. Ziva stopped and looked at him, "What is the matter?"

Tony grinned, "Nothing, I just thought that you two were happy together."

Ziva nodded, "We were, but… I decided that it would be best if we no longer saw eachother."

Tony grinned, "What'd he do?"

Ziva looked at him, "He did nothing wrong, but Me—I just thought we didn't belong together."

Tony nodded, amazed at how good of a friend Ziva was that she wouldn't spill Melissa's "secret." Any other girl would've gushed to tell him.

He grinned at her, then pretended to be confused, "Wait a minute, if you and Matt aren't dating, who are you going to the dance with?"

He was panting to keep up with her but Ziva wasn't even fazed when she said, "Oh, I called Abby and we're going together."

Tony raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Really?" He asked suggestively, earning himself an elbow and glare from Ziva. "Ow! What was that for?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, "You know what it's for." They continued running until Ziva asked out of overwhelming curiosity, "So… If you and Melissa are over, who are you going to the dance with?"

Tony forced himself to keep running, he hadn't thought of this part of the plan. He couldn't date anyone else now, what should he say?

"I…. uh… I am just going alone." Ziva stopped in her tracks and looked at a now-blushing Tony.

She raised an eyebrow, "Really? You are going to the dance alone? The famous Tony DiNozzo is dateless?"

She smiled hugely, part out of happiness that she embarrassed him, mainly because he wouldn't be going with anyone else.

Tony stuttered, "Yeah… I, uh… That girl I was telling you about earlier is already going with someone so I thought I'd go alone. I don't really want to go with anyone else anyways; I never should've asked Melissa."

Tony noticed the smile quickly disappear from her face at the mention of his "mystery girl." He grinned, maybe she did care…

Ziva was kicking herself for being so stupid, she was celebrating over his break-up with Melissa and had forgotten all about the real threat—he was in love.

She sighed, but regretted it immideatly when Tony looked at her with concern. "Something wrong Zee?"

_Yeah, you love someone, and they're not me…_

Ziva shook her head, "No, I'm fine. So tell me, who is it exactly that you love?" She looked over at Tony, and saw his eyes widen as he seemed to panic a little.

Ziva thought it was odd that he was so nervous to talk about it, then realized, _It's Tony, he doesn't go around talking about these feelings, he only told me about this love accidentally._

Ziva sighed but thankfully Tony didn't hear as he managed, "I… uh, who I love? Well..." Tony raked his brain for a good answer, but nothing came to mind. She'd know if he was lying, but he couldn't tell her yet... He finally settled for, "I really don't think I can tell you."

Tony could tell that Ziva was disappointed, but he couldn't do anything about it.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva tried to hide her disappointment, Tony didn't even trust her enough to tell her who it was that he had feelings for.

It was killing her not knowing, she was up all last night thinking about it, wondering who it was. Wondering why he chose _that girl_ and not her. Was she not pretty enough? Was she not funny or smart enough?

Ziva sighed, she knew she should stop tormenting herself. Tony was in love with someone else and she needed to face it. He didn't love her and there was no need to dwell on it, she needed to move on and find someone else.

Tony had mentioned yesterday that all the guys at school had a crush on her, maybe it was time she stopped drooling over Tony and at least tried to find love somewhere else.

_No._ Ziva thought. _I could never love anyone else, Tony is too wonderful to ever forget. Even if he doesn't love me back..._ Ziva stopped in her tracks at the next thought that hit her. _So what if he doesn't love me back? I have to MAKE him love me back. I have to show him how wonderful we could be together and make him realize that we were meant to be._

Tony had stopped running when he realized she had too, Ziva was actually impressed with how well he was doing, he'd seemed to pick up his pace when she arrived.

Tony interrupted her thoughts, "Hey Zee, you ready to quit?"

He was breathing heavily, so Ziva decided to give him a break. She nodded and walked towards him laughing, "You look... tired."

She grinned at the look of disgust on Tony's face, "I can't believe you do this every morning. Come on, let's _walk_ back."

Ziva grinned, normally she'd run farther than this and still jog back, but considering this was Tony's first time she decided to go easy on him.

"Sure." Tony looked at her and she almost burst into laughter at the look of gratitude in his eyes. They turned around and began walking back to their houses.

Ziva knew she shouldn't pry, but she couldn't help herself from asking Tony, "Okay... So I get that you don't want to tell me the name of this girl. But talking things out is good for you, so what is she like?"

Tony quickly glanced at her and looked down, he didn't dare look her in the eyes for fear that he would give himself away. "Well... Ziva..." Tony's eyes widened, he hadn't meant to say her name but he smoothly covered his mistake up. "She's the most beautiful person I've ever met."

Ziva could feel her heart tearing as she interrupted him, "Wait a minute, beautiful?"

She practically whispered the next part, "She must be really special. You only refer to girls as hot."

Tony looked at her, not sure why she suddenly went so serious, her previous grin now missing.

Meanwhile, Ziva was fighting back tears. From the sounds of it he really loved her, and as much as she loved him, she wanted him happy.

Ziva wanted Tony to love _her_, but she realized that wasn't going to happen. As much as it hurt, she wanted him to be happy. She decided that, no matter what, she would not try to steal Tony's heart from this girl. Even if it meant she was unhappy, Tony loved this girl, and he deserved nothing less than love.

Ziva sighed, she noticed that Tony was looking at her with concern but she shrugged, "What else?"

Tony continued to look at her, unsure if he should question her or continue.

He could tell from her eyes that she didn't want to talk about what was bothering her so he continued, "It's not just her looks though, she's amazing. She's the most amazing person I've ever met. Her smile brightens up the room and her laughter is the highlight of my day. I'm always thinking about her, wondering if she feels the same way about me. I actually dream about her."

He noticed that they were standing in front of her house and faced her. He stared in her eyes as he continued, "I love her long wavy hair no matter how she wears it and I could get lost in her beautiful eyes. I love her."

He noticed how close they were and wanted nothing more than to kiss her and let her know that he was talking about her, that _she's_ the one he constantly thinks and dreams about. He wanted to tell her that he loves her and beg for her to say the same.

That's what he wanted to do, but he realized that he still wasn't ready. So he stood there, searching her eyes for answers. Silently asking her where she stood on their relationship. He stared deep into her soul, waiting for her to tell him, but he got no answers. Instead, they both stood there silently, lost in each others' eyes.

Tony finally realized what he was doing and stepped back quickly. Both of their faces flushed with heat and they refused to make eye contact, Ziva was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Well, I have to go inside and get ready for school. I'll see you later." It took all of her willpower not to look back as she went inside and shut the door behind her.

* * *

**I will try to have the next chapter up tomorrow, but I can't say for sure since it's the first day back at school. I hope you enjoyed this, thanks for reading and please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Hey, I managed to post a chapter today. :) I am sorry but it is very short, I would have written more but my Oma is in the hospital because she had a major stroke and it was really serious. I hope that she will be okay and am praying for her, but I think that you can understand why this chapter is not longer now. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and please review, thanks!

* * *

Ziva hurried out of the classroom as the final bell rang. She went to her locker and packed her bag. The dance was tomorrow and she was going dress-shopping with her friends. She walked up to Abby, "Ready?"

Abby nodded and they slung their bags over their shoulders, "Wait! I forgot to give Jake over to Tony."

They slowly made their way to Tony's locker where he was talking with a bunch of his friends. His eyes lit up immediately when he saw Ziva and he quickly finished his conversation. "Okay Kyle, well I've got to go, I'll talk to you later."

Kyle nodded; he turned and saw Ziva, realizing why Tony was so eager to finish their conversation. He gave Tony a knowing look before walking off.

Tony tried to ignore the look Kyle gave him, but he was blushing anyways. He looked at Ziva and flashed his thousand-watt smile. "Hey Ziva, what's up?"

Ziva handed Jake to him, but Tony pulled his hands back, putting them up in the air so he couldn't grab the doll.

"Wow, sorry Ziva but I can't take him, I've got to go out and buy a new suit for the dance, gotta look good for the ladies."

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making Ziva blush and Abby giggle. Ziva recovered however, and it didn't take long for a frown to cross her face, "What do you mean you can't take him Tony, you _promised_! You can't expect me to take Jake to the mall with me and drag him around for the whole time do you?"

Tony shrugged, "It's no better than me having to drag him along, plus you have friends to watch him while you try dresses on."

Ziva glared at him, "Come on Tony, you can not be serious."

Tony grinned, "Actually, I'm not, I can take him."

Ziva glared at him, "Just for that I will take extra long while shopping so you have to watch him for longer."

Tony's grin disappeared and he started whining, "Oh come on Zee-vah. I was only kidding!"

Ziva smirked, "Too late, I no longer have to worry about taking too long, I can take hours and won't feel guilty at all!"

Tony groaned and Ziva smirked. "Oh, you said you're going to the mall?"

Tony nodded and Ziva smiled, "Good, we're meeting the other girls there so you can give us a ride."

Abby smiled to herself, she couldn't get over how similar they were to an old couple, they argued, but not harshly. She smiled to herself, loving the analogy of Tony and Ziva being husband and wife.

She watched them walk towards Tony's car, they'd seemed to forget she was with them, they were too busy arguing (and flirting) with each other.

Abby rushed after them and quickly grabbed a seat in the back so Tony and Ziva could sit up front together. They were her favourite couple-to-be and she knew that they were perfect for each other.

As much as they argued, they really did seem happier around each other, and you simply couldn't miss the attraction between the two. She'd already come up with a million ways to get them together, but she had decided to give Tony until after the dance to tell Ziva how he felt.

Abby knew that he was getting closer to telling her each day, and she loved watching their relationship develop, even if Tony and Ziva were unaware of the fact that it was developing. Abby smirked to herself, how they missed each others' feelings she wasn't sure, but it was obvious enough to everyone else.

Abby silently watched them from the back seat. Ziva was arguing with Tony, saying that he really should have let her drive; they would've been there already.

After Tony refused to let her take over, Ziva crossed her arms and looked out the window. Abby smiled as Tony looked over at her, subtly checking her out.

Abby knew that Tony was really trying to get on Ziva's good-side so she smirked when he caved. "Fine Ziva, you can drive."

Ziva looked over at him, clearly shocked, "Really?" She asked, her face hopeful.

Tony nodded, "Really, just don't wreck my car." Ziva nodded enthusiastically and waited until Tony had pulled over and gotten out before scooting into his seat with a huge smile on her face.

Abby tried to hide her chuckle at the look on Tony's face as he looked at Ziva. She thought it was cute the way that Tony felt the need to make her smile, and the way that his smile got huge when she did.

They pulled into the mall parking lot a few minutes later. Ziva was grinning but Tony simply mumbled under his breath words that Abby couldn't hear.

Ziva walked over to Tony and handed him the keys, "Thank you."

Tony nodded, deciding not to ruin the moment by pointing out her hazardous driving.

Ziva smiled and began to walk away with Abby following her when Tony's voice called out after them, "Wait!"

The two girls turned around and waited while Tony ran up to them. "I was just wondering if you guys wanted a ride to the dance, I don't have to pick anyone else up, so I can drive you guys there."

He flashed them his thousand-watt smile and Ziva grinned, she looked at Abby who nodded. "Sure Tony, that would be great!"

Tony smiled at them, "Great, I'll pick Ziva up at eight and Abby up at eight-fifteen?"

They nodded and thanked him before turning around and heading in the mall. Neither Tony nor Ziva noticed the wicked grin on Abby's face as they met their friends.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note: Hey, I am sorry that it took so long to update, but it's been crazy lately and the teachers assigned four major projects on only the second day of the new semester so I've been busy. I hope that this chapter is worth the wait and that you do enjoy it, I promise that the dance is coming soon! Thank you all so much for reading and please let me know how I'm doing and review, enjoy!

* * *

Ziva walked into the mall with Abby and spotted their friends. Ziva and Abby made their way over and smiled, Abby greeted them all with a huge smile, "Hey guys!"

Smiling and offering "heys" in return, everyone turned to greet them.

"I was thinking that we could all go to _Stacey's _first, I heard that they just put out a whole new selection of dresses!" Melissa began.

Everyone nodded and they made their way into the busy store. It wasn't long before Melissa and Abby were in the changing room, leaving Ziva with the other girls to wait.

"So Ziva, we really have to pick you out a dress that will shock Tony's mouth wide open." Rachel began, unaware of Melissa's promise to Tony that nothing would be said.

Ziva turned, her eyes wide in shock, "Why would we want to do that?"

Everyone grinned, "Oh come on Ziva, we're friends, you can tell us! Plus, he _totally_ loves you too!"

Ziva smirked, "I do not know what you are talking about."

She began to turn away to hide the blush on her face but the other girls wouldn't spare her, "Ziva." Rachel began. "We know that you love him, just like we know he loves you. So now let's get past all the 'he loves me, he loves me not' stuff and get you to together!"

Ziva refused to give in, "I really don't understand, Tony and I are friends."

The others just rolled their eyes, "Oh come Ziva. We all know that you're more than friends! You two are always staring at eachother when you think no one is looking. Plus, you should have seen the way Tony was acting when he saw Matt ask you out in the cafeteria, he slammed his tray down and practically knocked a bunch of kids over as he stomped out of the room. I'm surprised you didn't notice him with all the noise he was making. Then, he slammed his locker shut and basically bit Melissa's head off when she tried to talk to him. I know because I was going to see if he was okay myself, but she beat me to it. Oh! And get this, after Tony apologized to Melissa for being so mean he said 'I'm sorry I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you, it's not your fault I keep refusing to accept reality, guess after what I just saw I don't have much choice anymore.' Now try and tell me he doesn't love you back."

Ziva merely stood at them in awe, unsure of what to say, but before they could continue Melissa came out. She had overheard the last bit of the conversation and hurried to put on the dress so sheh could interrupt them, "Hey guys! How does this look?" She asked while twirling around.

After several approving comments Melissa smiled, "I'll think about it, but I can't buy the first dress I try on!" Thinking of how to secretly tell the others not to say anything more, Melissa continued, "I really want to shock Matt. I'm just glad that Tony promised he wouldn't say anything to him, I'd really hate it if someone else told him about my feelings. I mean, even if he likes me back, I'd want him to tell me himself, not be forced into it by his best friends." She twirled one more time to show them her dress, giving a meaningful look the other girls for good measure. She smiled when they seemed to get her point. "I'll be out in a few."

She disappeared into the changing rooms, and Ziva turned to the group of girls.

"What did you mean?"

Everyone hid their smiles at the hope that was evident in her voice. Rachel was the first to speak up. "It's nothing Ziva, I'm sorry but I was just trying to see if you liked him."

Ziva felt her heart fall, "Oh."

For a moment there she thought they were serious, she thought that Tony may actually love her back. Mentally kicking herself she forced herself to ask, "So, I guess you like him?"

Rachel was clearly shocked, "Me? No! I mean… I think he's a great guy and all, but we've already tried dating, didn't work out."

Ziva noticed that Rachel was blushing and smirked, "So you're sure you don't like him?"

Rachel nodded, "Why?"

Ziva merely smirked, "Nothing. I just thought by the way that you were blushing that you liked him."

Rachel blushed more but shook her head, "He likes someone else."

Ziva's smirk disappeared, "He doesn't like, he _loves_ some one else."

Rachels' eyes widened in shock, "You mean he told you?!"

Ziva nodded, "Yes, of course he did."

Rachel waited for Ziva to continue, but when she didn't Rachel prompted, "So…."

"What?" Ziva asked, clearly confused.

Rachel rolled her eyes and began, "Well??? How did you react?"

Ziva shrugged, "Why should it matter to me if he is in love, it's his life, not mine."

"Well, it affects your life too." Rachel answered.

Ziva furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean, how does this affect me if it is _Tony _who loves some girl."

_Some girl! _Rachel thought, _She doesn't know it's her!_ Searching her mind for any excuse she began, "Well, I know that, it's just that he's your friend, so it affects you too."

Rachel sighed in relief when Ziva simply replied, "Whatever."

It was easy to see that despite the way Ziva was desperately trying not to let her feelings for Tony show, she wasn't happy he loved _some one else._ Rachel smirked to herself at the irony of it all, Tony finally tells Ziva he's in love, he just won't tell her with who. Rachel chuckled to herself thinking; _It's just like they say, 'Let's take this one step at a time.' _

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva sighed as she sat down across from Tony in the cafeteria the next day at lunch. "It's finally over. We don't have to hear another baby cry for a very, very long time."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Oh come on Zee, it wasn't that bad!"

Ziva scoffed, "Oh says you! I'm the one who took him home with me every night and was forced to wake up constantly to make the STUPID DOLL stop crying!"

Tony smirked, "He was probably making you pay for losing him."

Ziva glared at him, "Like I told you before, I didn't _lose_ him; I knew exactly where he was."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure… Whatever, I believe you, _really I do!_"

Ziva glared at Tony, sensing the heavy sarcasm in his voice. Abby came bounding up and interrupted them, "Hey guys! Can't wait for tonight!"

Ziva turned and smiled at Abby, "Hey Abby! I know I can't wait, I don't know why, but I woke up with a weird feeling this morning, like some how today is going to be really great!"

Tony forced his hands to stay where they were, not allowing them to fidget nervously while thinking about what he was going to do tonight. "So, did you guys buy dresses yesterday?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

Ziva and Abby looked at him, clearly shocked that a guy would ask about clothes. Abby spoke up first, "Yeah we did! I love both of them, mine is black and Ziva's is dark green. I love my dress, even though I'm still not sure how Ziva talked me out of buying one with skulls on it."

Ziva simply smirked, "You look very nice in this dress Abby, and if I recall I only mentioned that Tim would agree with me on the dress choice, you were the one to make the final decision."

Abby blushed furiously, and when Tony raised an eyebrow she blushed even more. "It's just that Tim has good taste in clothes."

Tony and Ziva exchanged a knowing look but decided to leave it at that. Abby was thankful for the break and began rambling again, "Oh! Tony you should see Ziva in her dress, she looks SO pretty, I bet that everybody is going to be looking at her."

Both Tony and Ziva blushed, but thankfully Abby didn't notice. "I mean she looked _good_, and not just good, but _ good _good. Oh and I am sure that you will look great in your suit too! I guess that it really doesn't matter what everybody is wearing though, the dance itself is going to be great. I really can't wait!"

Tony and Ziva's eyes met and they both smirked, Abby always was enthusiastic.

Tony was done eating so he picked up his tray, "Well, like I said, I will pick you guys up tonight, at eight and eight-fifteen, sorry Ziva but _I _will be driving, the last thing I need today is a car crash."

Ziva glared at him and Tony smirked while walking away, not minding at all that her eyes followed him out of the room.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva stared into the hall mirror and pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear.

She was quite pleased with the way that this had turned out, her dress fit perfectly, and it ended just above her knee to allow free movement but still look good.

Also, it was dark green, the colour which looked best on her and her hair flowed freely down her back. She hadn't even needed to style it, the natural body in her hair allowed her to simply brush it and be ready to go.

She was extremely nervous though, she had bought this dress in hopes of impressing Tony, hoping that he would finally notice her, but she was wondering now if she was being too desperate. No guy, especially Tony, liked a desperate girl hanging on them, so she didn't want to appear needy.

Even though she knew Tony didn't look at her in that way, and that nothing would ever happen between them, she couldn't help but hope.

Gibbs walked in the hallway and saw Ziva fixing her hair, he frowned a little at the dress she was wearing, but realized that she was growing up, and there was nothing he could do about it. "Don't stay out too late tonight okay?"

Ziva looked at him and nodded, "Okay Dad."

Gibbs smiled, as much as he didn't like seeing her this grown-up, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful his daughter was. He swallowed the small lump forming in his throat, "So how are you getting to the dance?"

Ziva looked at him, "Tony's driving me and Abby there and back, that way we don't have to walk or have our parents drive us."

Gibbs gave his daughter a knowing look, sure that the smile on her face wasn't due to the fact that they'd be saving gas. "Good." He muttered, meaning it in more way than one. He walked towards the living room, but paused in the doorway. "You look good Ziva."

Ziva flashed him a smile, "Thanks Dad."

He pretended he didn't see her blush as he smiled kindly and walked into the living room.

Ziva turned back to the mirror, wondering if it was a bad idea for Tony to drive them. At that moment a car horn honked outside, signalling Tony's arrival.

_Well it's too late now… _ Ziva thought, she took a deep breath before stepping outside.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please review and I hope you enjoyed it, sorry for the wait!**


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Baby Assignment

Chapter: 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the original characters from the show, they belong to the writers of NCIS.**

Author's note:  
Hey guys thank you so much for reading this story. I was going to do this in two chapters, but I decided to do it in one longer one. This is a very long chapter, the longest one I have ever written but I think that you will enjoy it. I hope you do! This is the last chapter of the story, I thank you all for reading this story and for reviewing and letting me know how I am doing. This is my second fanfic and both of my stories have gotten such great feedback I plan on writing another one soon. :) Again, thank you all so much for reading my story, I hope that you enjoyed it!

* * *

Tony stopped his car in front of Ziva's house and honked the car horn. He waited while the door opened, but his heart nearly stopped in his chest when he saw Ziva.

She was wearing a dark green dress that ended just above her knee. Her hair flowed freely on her back, beautiful curls were cascading by her face. Tony's jaw dropped as she made her way towards him, a beautiful smile on her face.

Tony forced his mouth shut and he grinned back at her, trying his best to hide his hammering heart.

She opened the door and sat next to him, when Tony didn't start the car she looked over to find him staring at her, amazed. "What is it Tony?"

Tony mentally kicked himself for being caught staring, "Uh… I, you…"

_Great Tony you can't even talk around her anymore! This is pathetic._

Tony shook his head to refocus his thoughts, "You look good Ziva."

_You couldn't have thought of anything better than that?_

Tony shook his head again, trying to think properly again. He started the car and began to drive off. She caught him staring at her when they stopped at an intersection but he merely grinned and turned to look at the road, completely unaware of the way his grin was affecting her.

~~~NCIS~~~

Ziva held her breath as Tony grinned at her. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt and green tie that brought out his eyes. She couldn't help but notice how good he looked, she smiled widely as she noticed him glance at her again.

It was good to be noticed by Tony, she smiled to herself as she looked at him.

Now it was her turn to be caught staring, she blushed and Tony simply grinned, "What's the matter Ziva?"

Ziva refused to look at him, "Nothing Tony."

Tony refused to let her off, "No… that look meant something."

He took a moment to look at her, grinning at her misfortune. His face turned to an even goofier grin however, when she began, "I was just awed…"

Tony smiled widely, "Yeah…"

Ziva smirked, "I've never met anyone like you before."

Tony's head quickly turned to look at her, "What?"

He could feel the hope rising inside of him, but his face fell when Ziva smirked, "Yeah, you are the only person I know that could drive this slowly."

Tony rolled his eyes, "Whatever Zee, I drive this slow because I actually follow the rules."

Ziva scoffed, "Whatever." She sighed in relief as he bought her excuse. She sighed again as she thought about his grin.

Tony looked at her, a little concerned, girls usually sighed when something was wrong and they wanted you to ask about it. He changed the subject, not wanting to get into a meaningful conversation with her just yet, "So… How do you think the dance is going to be?"

Ziva looked at him and grinned, making Tony catch his breath. "Forgive me for sounding so Abby-like, but it's going to be great!"

Tony grinned, "What makes you say that?"

Ziva shrugged, "I don't know, I just have a feeling."

Tony nodded and flashed her a grin, "Now let's hear what Abby has to say about it."

Ziva looked as Abby bounded towards the car, nearly tripping over her own feet. She blushed before closing the door behind her, "Forgot I can't jump around in a dress and heels."

Tony grinned, "You look great Abs."

Abby beamed at Tony's comment and Ziva couldn't help but notice how different Tony's reaction was. With Abby he could look at the road and simply state that she looked good, but with her he refused to make eye contact and blushed. She decided to remember that for later, she couldn't think properly with Abby chatting to her.

"So Ziva, I LOVE your dress, I told you it looks amazing, and I really like your hair, don't you like her hair Tony?"

Tony swerved into the other lane, surprised at Abby's comment. He swerved back into their lane and grinned sheepishly, "Squirrel."

He was blushing as Abby asked again, "Aww… You're so sweet for saving it Tony. But don't you think Ziva looks good?"

Tony merely nodded and sped up a little, hoping the wind would help cool his face. "Yeah, I think she looks amazing."

Ziva looked at him and smiled, although he didn't realize it, he was making her very happy.

Ziva saw Tony was uncomfortable but thought nothing about it, he probably thought it was awkward to comment on his friends' appearances.

Abby spoke up again, "We're here! Come on Tony, stop by the door so that Ziva and I can go out, we'll meet you inside."

Tony nodded and Ziva grinned, he was probably happy to have a moments break from Abby's chatter. She and Abby got out of the car and walked towards the gym. Abby didn't waste any time after Tony drove away, "WOW! He couldn't stop staring at you!"

Ziva blushed but kept walking, "He's my friend Abby, he's allowed to look at me."

Abby persisted, "Friends don't look at friends like _that_ Ziva."

Ziva rolled her eyes, she knew Abby was only telling her what she wanted to hear so she ignored her, "Whatever, let's go in."

They walked inside the gym and were amazed at the decorations. There were many large donations by richer students for this dance, and the gym looked beautiful because of it. It was dimly lit, giving it a romantic setting and Ziva looked around in awe. "Wow."

She looked around and saw a small wooden bridge crossing over a fake moat. It led to a pathway with candles and flowers surrounding it, the path led outside into the garden the school gardening club had grown.

Ziva had to admit that she was amazed, even with the large donations, this was impressive for a school dance.

Tony came in behind them and judging from the low whistle, he was impressed. "Wow. This is… nice."

Ziva turned around to look at him, she nodded and grinned, "Melissa was in charge of decorations, judging by the romantic setting I'm guessing that she plans to tell Matt tonight."

Tony nodded, trying to seem like he didn't care. In reality, he was extremely nervous. His dad was loaded and didn't care what Tony did with money as long as he kept out of his fathers' way, so Tony was the one who "generously donated" the money for the decorations. He and Melissa both decided on a romantic theme. He had wanted everything to be perfect for tonight, but even so, this was impressive.

Tony looked at Ziva and couldn't help but smile, she looked so beautiful with the lights creating a soft glow on her skin.

He forced himself to look away before he broke and told her everything; he'd waited years for this, so he could wait a little longer.

Matt walked in and Tony walked to meet him. Tony didn't appreciate the way Matt was watching Ziva, but he fought the urge to punch him. "Hey Matt, impressive huh?"

Tony gestured to the room and Matt nodded, even though it was obvious he didn't really care. Tony's face grew red as Matt continued to watch Ziva, "Hey Matt! You planning on asking anyone imparticular to dance tonight?"

Tony grinned and so did Matt, "Yeah, you know I might ask a girl or two."

Tony's grin disappeared as Matt continued to stare at Ziva, _didn't she break up with him?_ Tony rolled his eyes; he'd have to be watching Matt closely tonight, very closely.

~~~NCIS~~~

Half an hour later, the dance floor was full. Ziva and Abby had been dancing together all night, just having fun. As much as Tony wanted Ziva to have fun, he needed to talk to her too, not just have Abby hog her.

Tony was already saying "no thanks" to a bunch of girls that wanted him to dance with them. Not very many had, seeing as they knew his feelings for Ziva, but there always were a desperate few refusing to accept the truth.

Tony noticed Tim standing next to the punch bowl, talking to Jimmy Palmer. Tony rolled his eyes, then put on a grin and walked towards them. "Hey Jimmy, I need to talk to Tim here for a minute."

Jimmy nodded and left quickly, Tony was thankful that he got the hint.

Tim was sipping his drink when Tony looked at him. "Why don't you ask Abby to dance?"

Tim blushed, "Why would I?"

Tony rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, don't give me the 'we're just friends' speech, I've perfected that one. Anyways, I know you like her and I also happen to know that she likes you, go for it."

Tim blushed, "I don't know Tony…"

"Come on Tim, don't tell me that you don't want to, I know you do."

"Well…" Tim began, "What if she says no?"

Tony grinned, "So you admit that you want to dance with her. Trust me Tim, she's been glancing at you all night, I notice these things. Ask her, I'm so sure that she'll say yes that if she says no, which she won't… I'll give you my car."

Tim's eyes grew wide, he nodded, knowing that either way he won. "Sure. You promise that if she says no you'll give me your car?"

Tony nodded and Tim grinned. His grin disappeared when he realized what he had to do. A shy smile crossed his face as he made his way towards Abby.

Tony grinned, it's a good thing she was going to accept, Tim would probably be very mad to learn that Tony was going to give him a toy car, not a real one. Tony grinned at his own cleverness, then turned to watch Tim.

Tim tapped Abby on the shoulder, blushing slightly. She looked at him and a shy smile crept on both of their faces.

Tim said something and Abby nodded vigorously, her smile now quite large. Tim was grinning to, obviously quite pleased with himself.

Tony grinned at the exchange between the two, he hadn't even notice Ziva creep up behind him. "That was nice of you Tony."

Tony jumped at the sound of Ziva's voice. He blushed deeply and took a drink to cool down. "I'm just a nice guy."

He grinned and so did she, Tony suspected that he wasn't supposed to hear her mumble, "Yeah, you really are."

Tony's grin was replaced by a genuine smile which made Ziva's heart beat faster. She couldn't help but notice how the green tie seemed to bring out his eyes.

Her heart was racing as they both stared into each others eyes. Both of them felt the magnetic pull towards the other, and after a while, they both stopped fighting it.

Tony was the first to lean in, unable to fight his feelings any longer. Their faces were slowly moving closer, but the moment was broken when a new song came through the speakers.

They pulled apart quickly, blushing. Tony was fighting the urge to just grab her and kiss her. _How could he be so stupid?! He'd spent years waiting for this moment, it had to be perfect! _Tony took a deep breath, he couldn't simply kiss her, he was going to follow through with the plan.

Tony looked at his watch and realized that it was time, he looked up and began, "Hey Ziva I haven't gone outside yet tonight, want to come with me?"

He hoped desperately that she would say yes, but he realized that she had left when they stepped away from each other.

Tony ran his hands through his hair, what did he do know? How could he mess this up? All because of one stupid moment of weakness!

Tony scanned the crowd, but he didn't see her anywhere.

Tony was frantic, where was she? He continued to search the room, but realized she had left. He began walking towards Abby to ask for her help, but she looked so happy with Tim, he couldn't bring himself to ruin anyone else's night.

Tony searched the rest of the school and was beginning to get frantic. What had he done? Had he just ruined their relationship forever?

He ran his fingers through his hair, where was she?

Tony began to run, he looked in every room in the school, desperate to find Ziva and explain himself. After realizing she wasn't inside, Tony raced outside, his heart pounding as he thought about the possibility of her hating him forever.

His heart nearly stopped in his chest when he saw her, sitting on a bench in the middle of the garden. If he had followed his plan, that was were he was going to tell her.

Tony began to run towards her, he had to explain himself. She knew how he cared now, she obviously didn't feel the same way. His heart was breaking as he realized this was true. She didn't feel the same way.

Tony swallowed his pain, as much as it hurt, he at least had to try and patch things up between them. Tony was still running towards her, but stopped in his tracks when he realized she was crying.

Tony panicked, he'd never seen Ziva cry before, she was too strong. He knew that she would only want to be alone, but he couldn't leave her like this, it was breaking his heart to see her in pain.

He forgot about the incident and the way she didn't care for him, all that mattered now was that Ziva was okay. He ran up to her and knelt down beside her, "Ziva…"

Ziva heard the caring in his voice, but it only cut her deeper. She knew he cared, but he'd never care for her the same way as she cared for him.

Ziva looked down, refusing to look Tony in the eyes, afraid that he would see straight through her soul if she did.

"Ziva…" He began again. Tony put his hand caringly on her shoulder, but Ziva pushed it off and stood up.

She turned her back to him and walked away "Not now Tony."

Tony fought back against the pain at having her reject his touch, right now wasn't about his mistake or his pain, right now he needed to make sure she was okay.

He stood up and followed her, turning her to face him, he saw her tears. "Ziva what's wrong?"

Ziva didn't bother to shrug him off this time, but she still refused to look him in the eyes. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

Tony put a hand under her chin and made her look at him, "Ziva, I won't leave you alone because that's not what friends do. As much as you may not like it, I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong."

Ziva blinked back more tears, "You'd never understand. You _can't_ understand, not unless you know how much it hurts."

"Ziva, I you're right. I can't understand unless you tell me what's wrong."

Ziva looked away, "Just go Tony, I do not want to talk to you right now."

Tony refused to back down, "That's too bad because I'm not going anywhere until we talk. Tell me what's wrong."

Ziva looked at him, a mix of pain and anger flashing in her eyes, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE TONY! WHY WON'T YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Tony could feel his anger rising, "I'm NOT leaving you! I won't leave you alone because I hate seeing you hurt like this, I LOVE YOU! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT ZIVA?!"

He saw the look of shock in her eyes. This wasn't how he'd planned on telling her, but he had to follow through now. He stared deep into her eyes as he continued, "That's right Zee, I love you. I have for so long now. I have ever since I met you. I love you more than anything else in the world, you _are_ my world. You're the girl I was telling you about, you're the one I love. Your smile lights up the room and your laugh makes my day. Your smart, funny, beautiful… I could go on forever. So please Ziva, just tell me what's wrong because I _need_ to help you. When you're in pain, I feel it because I love you so much. Please Ziva."

Ziva stared at Tony, she couldn't believe her ears. Tony loved her! The same Tony she'd been in love with since she first met him just admitted that he loved her!

Ziva felt her tears dry up as she looked at Tony, so happy that she as unable to move.

Tony sensed the way she was immobilized with shock. He took advantage of this fact and slowly leaned in towards her, wanting to show her just how deep his love went. He saw her eyes widen, but still she didn't move. Soon, his mouth was covering hers, and he was releasing all of the years of tension that had built up inside him. Tony pulled her towards him, forcing her closer to him.

He knew it wasn't fair to do this while she was obviously too shocked to pull away, but that's why he was doing it now. He _needed_ this kiss. He needed at least one kiss with her, something to remember before she pulled away and broke his heart forever.

Tony was beginning to get worried, Ziva still wasn't responding to his kiss. She wasn't pulling away, but she wasn't replying either. He suppressed the worry that was growing inside him and decided to enjoy this while he could. He moaned, one simple gesture revealing just how much he wanted this, how much he wanted her.

Tony's moan snapped Ziva back into reality. She responded to the kiss as enthusiastically as she could. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer towards her, moaning slightly.

Finally, they pulled apart for air. They breathed heavily, staring the other in the eyes, looking for any sign of regret.

Tony was the first to speak, "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to do that."

He had a huge, genuine smile on his face, and Ziva returned the gesture, "I think I can relate."

She smiled as he pulled her in for another kiss, this one slower, more romantic than the previous passionate one.

They broke apart again, gasping for breath.

Tony stared into her eyes, "I meant it Ziva. I really do, I love you."

Ziva smiled genuinely as she spoke, "I love you too Tony, more than anything else."

Tony 's smile grew even wider, he'd never been so happy in his entire life. Every single moment of his life that sucked, it was all worth it now that he had her.

Tony grabbed her hand and they walked back inside together. He excused himself for a moment and whispered something to the D.J. Walking back to Ziva, he had a delighted grin on his face. "Would you like to dance?" He asked.

Ziva nodded, happier than she had ever been before. Tony led her onto the floor just as the next song came on,

_She rolls the window down  
And she  
Talks over the sound  
Of the cars that pass us by  
And I don't know why  
But she's changed my mind_

_Would you look at her  
She looks at me  
She's got me thinking about her constantly  
But she don't know how I feel  
And as she carries on without a doubt  
I wonder if she's figured out  
I'm crazy for this girl _

Tony held Ziva closer as he whispered in her ear, "I love you Ziva, I'm crazy about you."

* * *

**So that's the end! I hope you enjoyed it!! Thank you all SO much for reading, I hope it was worth your time!:)**

***Like I said in a previous chapter, the song is Crazy for this Girl and belongs to Evan and Jaron. :)  
**


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